AESAN
In this guide
In this guideThis is a discussion paper. It does not reflect the views of the Committee. It should not be cited.
93. In 2019, the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) reviewed the risk associated with the consumption of food supplements that contain G. gummi-gutta.
94. They state that it is recommended to not exceed a daily dose of 3,000 mg of standardised extract at 50-60% HCA (dose equivalent to 1,500 – 1,800 mg of HCA), administered orally in three “shots”, 30-60 minutes before three main meals.
95. It was found that different supplements marked in Spain containing Garcinia and/or HCA were in the form of tablets, capsules, sachets or vials with differing compositions of G. cambogia and/or HCA content. The range of recommended daily allowances in these products was 30 – 2,070 mg of HCA.
96. AESAN noted that consumption of supplements containing Garcinia and/or HCA has been linked to toxic effects including hepatotoxicity, rhabdomyolysis, nephropathy, cardiovascular toxicity, hypomania and serotonin toxicity and psychosis; however, it has not been confirmed if Garcinia is the main toxicant, as it is often found in products with other ingredients.
97. AESAN concluded that there was “sufficient clinical evidence to establish a causal association between the consumption of garcinia and the duration of treatment, and the development of acute liver injury, with an obvious improvement in liver function after the withdrawal from the garcinia food supplement.” This conclusion was based on the literature reviewed by AESAN including Lunsford et al., (2016) (see paragraphs 153-155), Crescioli et al., (2018) (see paragraphs 143-149, 181), and Sharma et al., (2018) (see paragraphs 150-152), among others.
98. Further to this, AESAN highlighted the importance of regulatory authorities to develop systems for post-market surveillance and for healthcare professionals, researchers and citizens to report adverse effects.