A-Rx is one of the more recent additions of the best diet pills that work to the variety of diet products that are commercially available with a prescription. By taking an extract from the Garcinia Cambogia plant and combining it with green tea and green coffee bean extract, the makers hope to create a product that disrupts fat manufacturing and suppresses appetite. However, there are no clinical trials to suggest that these products work together and in the ratios used. Furthermore, many similar products have been dismissed by the FDA as ineffective, as well as contributing to various health risk factors.
Ingredients
The ingredients contained in A-Rx weight loss pills are:
Garcinia Cambogia Fruit Powder Extract
Green Coffee Bean Extract
Green Tea Extract
Guarana
Vitamin B-12
Brand Name Variations
A-Rx
SlenderFruit 7
Garcinia Cambogia Supplements
Mechanism of Action
While not all Garcinia Cambogia products mimic the exact formula of A-Rx, the predominant element in the weight loss function that separates these products from other, herbal products is the Garcinia Cambogia they contain. A small fruit native to Indonesia, Garcinia Cambogia extract contains a substance named HCA, or hydroxycitric acid. This substance reportedly displays both fat blocking and appetite suppressant properties.
HCA is also marketed as a way to increase the body’s production of serotonin. This neurotransmitter is one of the many substances that combine to help people increase their mood or maintain a positive outlook. By increasing this neurotransmitter’s overall dispersion, emotional and “comfort” eaters are better able to control their cravings.
However, serotonin increases will not impact a person’s weight loss when mood is not a contributing factor to their current weight. Also, while HCA could possibly disrupt the conversion from carbohydrates to fats, there is nothing included in the formula to deal with a calorie excess in either fats or proteins. The same impact could be easily recreated by a slight reduction in carbohydrate intake.
Dosing and Administration
For A-Rx, the recommended dose is one capsule either before or after the first meal of the day. There is no stated requirement to take the pill on either an empty or a full stomach. However, the pill is designed to be taken in the morning. As for Garcinia Cambogia variants, people should take no more than 1000mg in a single dose, and no more than 3000mg each day.
History
The Garcinia Cambogia fruit has been widely used in Indonesian and African culture as an integrated part of the traditional diet. It is used in curries and as a preservative for curing meat and fish. The manufacturers of HCA based weight loss pills use the extract from this fruit as the fundamental ingredient for their product.
Beginning in the 1990’s, many types of serotonin-based weight loss medications have been pulled from circulation due to safety and efficacy concerns. Recently, some of these products have been approved for specific cases of type 2 diabetes, but there has been no formal recommendation from the scientific community backing regular use as a fitness or lifestyle product. Furthermore, these products use synthetic serotonin enhancers, and not HCA.
Adverse Effects
In fruit form, there are no long term side effects to eating Garcinia Cambogia. However, there have been no long term studies as to the safety of HCA when used for a prolonged period of time. The best estimates state that clinical trials show the product as being “possibly safe” when used for less than 12 weeks. Since this is a shorter time frame than weight loss requires, effectiveness is suspect.
Also, there are quite a few combinations of medicines that create problems for people that take Garcinia Cambogia. For example, pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take the substance. Also, even though weight loss is a logical choice to combat diabetes, A-Rx can cause problems with certain diabetes medications due to drops in blood sugar. On top of that, HCA specifically has also been shown to cause problems with certain cholesterol medications. Since weight loss and cholesterol maintenance go hand in hand, this is a common issue for patients.
