Beta Oxidation

When it comes to the health and supplement industry, there is a lot of advice on best combination of ingredients for physical performance, weight management and fine-tuning aspects of exercise & aging. The question is not IF there is an abundance of information, but most often how do you filter all the static and get a confident interpretation of best practices.
To add to that burden, it is not just the physical and central nervous system demands you need to understand, as a consumer you need to sift through phrases like fat burner, muscle building and metabolic repair. One term that encompasses all of the above, including the cognitive component of healthy aging and exercise is Beta Oxidation.
Beta Oxidation is the activity of a metabolic pathway responsible for the utilization of stored fat, dietary fatty acids and to limited extent carbohydrates for creating energy. Energy for continued fat loss, exercise endurance and muscle & cognitive maintenance.
Scientists continue to look at naturally derived sources of HCA like Hibiscus sabdariffa and Garcinia cambogia as an effective way to enhance thermogenesis, boost exercise performance and endurance as well as improve one’s ability to burn calories for an extended period after exercise. (1,2)
In a 2000 study by Ishihara in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers found Garcinia cambogia significantly improved the use of serum free fatty acids and glycogen stores in muscle for added thermogenesis and energy production. Additional studies by Lim confirmed regular and short term administration of HCA from Garcinia cambogia significantly improved the use of fat for energy preferentially over carbohydrates.
An interesting attribute of Garcinia cambogia, because it works on the body’s fat oxidation pathways, is individuals not conditioned to exercise find it assists them to extend their endurance during physical activity (2), making Garcinia cambogia a performance botanical for both athletes and those getting back into a program of exercise (3).
The Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology looked at Garcinia cambogias benefits in athletes compared to undertrained women and its impact on their exercise activity. The results showed that in both conditioned and poorly conditioned participants, HCA decreased the respiratory exchange ratio (RER). RER is a measure of CO2 vs O2 burned. The ratio is used to quantify the amount of fat burning that can occur during exercise supporting the claim that HCA and Garcinia cambogia preferentially utilize fat over carbohydrates for exercise endurance. In addition, researchers Lim et al. reported the amount of time it took individuals to reach exhaustion was lengthened as a result of HCA from Garcina cambogia.
Fat oxidation was significantly increased by short-term administration of HCA, and carbohydrate oxidation was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) during exercise in athletes. In a continuation of their study, Lim et al. [109] conducted a similar study to evaluate the effects of HCA administration on fat oxidation during exercise in untrained women. (3)
Whether you are looking to enhance your physical performance or need to assist your fat burning potential, studies show Garcinia Cambodia naturally rich in the active constituent HCA does help to increase the rate of fatty oxidation and is a prudent choice to help you reach your goals

1- Ishihara K, Oyaizu S, Onuki K, Lim K, Fushiki T. Chronic (−)-hydroxycitrate administration spares carbohydrate utilization and promotes lipid oxidation during exercise in mice. Journal of Nutrition. 2000;130(12):2990–2995.
2- Bill I. Campbell et al. The effects of a single-dose thermogenic supplement on resting metabolic rate and hemodynamic variables in healthy females – a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2016; 13: 13.

3- Lim K1, Ryu S, Nho HS, Choi SK, Kwon T, Suh H, So J, Tomita K, Okuhara Y, Shigematsu N. (-)-Hydroxycitric acid ingestion increases fat utilization during exercise in untrained women. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2003 Jun;49(3):163-7.