Diet craze sends 'miracle' supplement flying off shelves - WXIA-TV

ATLANTA -- Americans spend $4 billion on weight loss supplements every year.

Now, another 'miracle drug' has hit the shelves, and health food stores are having a hard time even keeping it in stock. When 11Alive's Kaitlyn Ross started making calls on Garcinia Cambogia, it was sold out at stores across metro Atlanta.

Is the supplement worth the hype?

Heavy sales based on high expectations Return to Eden has been slammed with people searching for Garcinia Cambogia.

'Everyone always wants a quick fix for weight loss. So anytime anyone talks about it in the media we gets tons of calls,' General Manager Troy DeGroff told 11Alive.

The latest craze sound familiar: the extract of an exotic fruit, endorsed by a TV doctor, guaranteed to make you thin.

'There are some people who are absolutely addicted to it and they keep coming back, and they say yes, this is helping me get to my weight loss goal,' DeGroff said.

Health experts warn about results The online reviews would have you believe that Garcinia Cambogia can shrink you to half your natural size, but health experts say it's never that easy.

Holistic Dr. Taz Bhatia says the supplement is supposed to regulate the insulin in your body, suppressing hunger, but it's not a pill everyone can swallow. Garcinia Cambogia, like a lot of weight loss supplements, works for certain people. The supplement has been successful in rats, but there is no conclusive proof it works in humans. And that's a tough pill for some people to swallow.

'I have people who have tried it and they swear it works. But I've had just as many try and it not see a great benefit,' Dr. Bhatia said. While taking the supplement likely won't hurt you, you have to be willing to help yourself: 'You've got to put in the work with the supplement and it's not a magic bullet.'

Do you have questions for 11Alive's Kaitlyn Ross about her diet supplement research? Send her a tweet @KaitlynRoss1:

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