First, you should realize that by law (passed in 1996, DSHEA) herbal
supplements can make generic claims of therapeutic value without proof
of their efficacy and without evaluation of their safety. The claim
that the main ingredient of citrislim, -hydroxycitric acid, inhibits
citrate lyase, seems to be true (much of my info here can be confirmed
by a search on pubmed, a reputable scientific database-- e.g.,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=Search&DB=pubmed ).
This search also showed studies that indicated a statistically
significant amount of weightless compared to control groups, and a
safety for at least a 90 day period (for this ingredient, -HCA, only--
see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15228099).
The citrate lyase enzyme makes the building blocks of fat (acetyl coA)
available for assembly. However, there are other pathways for doing
this. But this claim probably has some scientific evidence. There are
some complexities involved here though, which I won't go into now. Oh,
also, this compound inhibits cholesterol formation, but cholesterol is
necessary for cells (cell membranes have a significant portion made of
cholesterol-- this is a good thing! otherwise the cell would die).
Even the website mentions this danger.
Also, DHEA, another ingredient, inhibits glucose-6-phosphate
dehydrogenase, which is one enzyme (amongst others) for making NADPH,
which is used as energy for assembling fatty acid chains. However,
DHEA has been proven to cause cancer, and I didn't think they were
even legally able to sell it, but again, with herbs you never know.
Now, their claim about gamma-linoleic acid could be true
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11592727
), but is certainly not completely verified. The connection that they
make to ATP Na/K channels is not really verified as far as I know, and
even if true, poses serious dangers for drug interaction since these
channels are necessary for proper neuron and cardiac function. The
connection to brown fat (which burns energy giving off heat rather
than ATP) also is tenuous, but maybe I just don't know enough about
research in that area.
The claim that CoQ10 is necessary for ATP production is partly true,
but it is not really a major factor in metabolism, i.e., having more
of it isn't going to change anything-- it just helps transfer
electrons, but is used therapeutically more as an antioxidant, at
least in the US. Hm.
Anyway, to sum up, the company gives more substantial evidence than
most companies do, but the safety of this product is not established.
It definitely has some effect on weightloss though. I should probably
do more research on this, but I'm just tired right now. I doubt anyone
will go into more detail than this for the price listed. |
