There are some events in life that are considered as milestones. They remain etched in our memories till the time of our departing the world.
One such event is childbirth. It is one of the most momentous and memorable events for any couple.
They will continue to cherish it even when they have reached the twilight of their life.
However, child birth and pregnancy and the process involved in it come with its own set of challenges.
The unborn baby and the mother have to be careful about quite a few things.
The mothers should certainly be careful about their food habits, their lifestyle and the kind of exercises and workouts that they are into.
They should also know how to manage stress and tension because all these could impact childbirth and could be a cause of concern both for the child and mother.
The Problem Of Obesity And Being Overweight
Before getting into further details about a few important points pertaining to pregnancy and the activities just before and after it, let us get started by understanding something more about overweight and obesity problem.
It is quite well-known that obesity and overweight problems are no longer few and far between.
They have become extremely common and there are figures to suggest that one out of three persons in the country and even across the world could be suffering from the negative impacts of being overweight or obese.
While on the one side millions go to bed without the second meal, there are millions who suffer from the effects of overeating.
Hence, there is a growing demand for weight management techniques methods and approaches.
While the conventional methods of changes to food habits and importance of workouts and exercises continue to be in the center stage, there is a growing demand for weight management supplements.
It could already be playing an important complementary role in helping those who are focused on reducing their extra inches of fat in various parts of the body.
What Is Garcinia Cambogia?
It would be difficult for us to talk about each and every weight loss product that is available in the market.
We will be having a look at garcinia cambogia because, over the past few years, it is considered to be one of the most obvious choices for those who are looking for the right weight loss supplement.
Garcinia cambogia is a fruit that grows in many countries of South East Asia.
It is a tropical fruit that resembles a small sized pumpkin.
The outer skin or the rind is green in color while the inside could be either white or light orange in color.
It also has seeds in it and they are considered to be rich sources of unsaturated fatty acids.
The rind of the fruit is rich in antioxidants and a substance called HCA or hydroxycitric acid that is considered to be one of the best ingredients for weight management.
How Does Garcinia Cambogia Work?
The weight management product is available as supplements in the form of capsules, tablets, pills, liquid tinctures and also powder.
The extraction process determines the quality of the end supplement and the extraction should be done using water instead of alcohol or other synthetic substances.
Pure and high quality Garcinia cambogia contains high concentration of HCA or hydroxycitric as mentioned above.
This is considered to be very useful in weight management because it works in three ways.
To begin with, it increases the presence of a hormone called serotonin in the brain.
This could have a negative impact in appetite and could mask hunger quite effectively. This could lead to reduced eating and reduced craving for food.
Secondly, HCA also could help in making the metabolism process more efficient.
Finally, HCA also has another property by which it prevents the conversion or slows down the speed with which unused carbohydrates gets converted into fat.
Once it is converted as fat, the body stores it and this is one of the main reasons for overweight and obesity problems.
Hence, we need to take into account the three pronged approach of Garcia cambogia in managing obesity and even mild to moderate overweight problems.
Garcinia Cambogia Safety And Side Effects
While the above encouraging news for those who are obese and overweight, they would like to know more about the safety features and be sure that it is not full of side effects as is the case with many other supplements available in the market.
While there are no authentic studies regarding the side effects associated with garcinia cambogia, going by user feedback, it is quite obvious that it is quite safe and it is well tolerated even when used for long periods of time.
However, there could be some instances of headaches, light diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and so on.
A few stray cases of increased heart beats, high blood pressure and high blood sugar may have been reported.
These are very few and far between and it may not be directly related to the use of Garcinia cambogia supplements alone.
Garcinia Cambogia And Pregnancy
We will now talk about the use of garcinia cambogia when a woman is pregnant.
Like all medications and supplements, one needs to exercise care and caution when a woman is pregnant.
The same applies to garcinia cambogia. We are sharing a few reasons as to why it may not be advisable to use this weight management supplement during pregnancy.
- It could affect the nursing baby. There could be the possibility of HCA being ingested by the unborn baby in the mother’s womb.It could also happen post-childbirth when the new born baby is lactating.This could lead to high metabolic rate and loss of appetite for the baby and this could lead to complications.
- It could lead to unwanted interactions with the mother’s body because after pregnancy and during pregnancy the body would react differently to various supplements.It could impact the regulatory functions of the body and there could hormone imbalances.It might lower blood sugar levels of the mother and this could again lead to unwanted complications.
- There is very little research that has been done on the safety of garcinia cambogia when it is used by pregnant mothers and lactating mothers.While the manufacturers might claim it is safe, most of them advise caution and even recommend that it would be better to stay away from Garcinia cambogia before, during and after pregnancy.Hence it would always be better to go by prudence and commonsense rather than trying something that is ambitious and perhaps even overzealous.It is not worth the risk because it involves quite a few things and the life and wellbeing of the mother and the baby is much important than any trial and error.
A Few More Questions
We are also sharing a few more questions with regard to garcinia breastfeeding. We are sure that it will be interesting and informative.
Is Garcinia cambogia safe after pregnancy?
It would be ideal to stay away from Garcinia cambogia till such time the mother continues to breast feed the baby. This is because of the risk of passing on HCA to the breastfeeding baby.
When should I start using Garcinia cambogia when breastfeeding a child?
It would be safe to use Garcinia cambogia only after you have completely stopped breastfeeding the new born baby.
What about other Garcinia cambogia side effects?
There could be a few other side effects that a woman should keep in mind before, during and after pregnancy.
These include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. However, in most cases these side effects would cease within the first few days in nine out of ten cases.In case it does not stop, then it would always be advisable to put a stop to the use of this supplement.
Further, preexisting medical conditions and other such problems should also be taken into account and only then long term usage of Garcinia cambogia be considered.
Look At Some Brands Of Garcinia Cambogia
Organic Veda Cambogia Extract
This comes in a pack of 100 vegetarian capsules consisting of high class garcinia cambogia. It is non GMO and manufactured in FDA facility.
Aiche Pharma Garcinia Cambogia
It is a good weight management option without the use of stimulants. The active ingredient HCA helps in reducing appetite and reduces fatty acid synthesis.
Allura Trim Weigh Loss Sticks
This is vegan appetite suppressant and has 60% garcinia cambogia. It is good for metabolism, thermogenesis and weight loss.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, there is no doubt that garcinia cambogia is one of the safest and tested weight management supplements.
It has been in use for many decades now in its concentrated form. Prior to that it was used by natives as a fruit and there have been no big news about drastic and dangerous side effect.
Having said that, when it comes to pregnant mothers who are into breastfeeding, it would be always better to avoid the use of garcinia cambogia.
It can be continued once the baby is weaned off breastfeeding.
It does not make any sense to take some emotional decision as far as the use of Garcinia cambogia during breastfeeding is concerned.
It would be pertinent to also mention here that there have been very little tests and researches that have been done regarding the use of garcinia cambogia and therefore prudence always is a better part of valor.
Diana Paul is a certified nutritionist who writes for leading health blogs. She is a master herbalist, yoga teacher, forager, and wild-crafting writer She is focused on helping people transform life blocks to opportunities. Based in NYC, she often holds health seminars and lectures.