In March 2025, Anses issued a warning strongly advising against the consumption of dietary supplements containing the plant Garcinia cambogia Dsr. or preparations based on Garcinia cambogia due to the risks of severe adverse effects associated with its consumption. The decree of April 17, 2025, suspends in France for one year the importation, introduction, and marketing, whether for a fee or free of charge, of dietary supplements containing the plant Garcinia cambogia Desr and all preparations derived from this plant.
What is Garcinia cambogia?
Garcinia cambogia Desr. is a plant traditionally used in India for culinary as well as medicinal purposes. This plant and preparations derived from it are permitted in several countries of the European Union. Dietary supplements based on extracts of Garcinia cambogia Desr are indicated for weight loss. The slimming properties of this plant are attributed to hydroxycitric acid (HCA) present in the fruit’s pericarp.
Severe adverse effects related to the consumption of Garcinia cambogia
In 2019, within the framework of the Nutrivigilance system, ANSES received a report of a fatal fulminant hepatitis case associated with the consumption of a dietary supplement containing, among other ingredients, Garcinia cambogia. Furthermore, since the establishment of the Nutrivigilance system in 2009, thirty-eight reports of adverse effects potentially linked to the consumption of dietary supplements based on Garcinia cambogia Desr. have been brought to ANSES’s attention. In light of this data, ANSES took the initiative on March 31, 2020, to assess the risks associated with the consumption of dietary supplements containing Garcinia cambogia. The agency conducted an analysis of cases of adverse effects identified by French, European, Canadian, and American monitoring systems, complemented by a literature review. It has identified cases of liver, psychiatric, digestive (pancreatitis), cardiac, and muscular (rhabdomyolysis) damage associated with the consumption of dietary supplements based on Garcinia cambogia Desr., which can occur in individuals who are ill, have medical histories, or are healthy. The results of this analysis thus constitute a warning from Anses. In March 2025, Anses advises against the consumption of products based on Garcinia cambogia Desr. or preparations made from this plant for the whole population.
Garcinia cambogia Desr. already prohibited in medicinal preparations made in pharmacies for weight loss purposes.
Furthermore, in 2012, the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) banned the use of the plant Garcinia cambogia for weight loss in magistral preparations made in pharmacies, “as these preparations have not proven their effectiveness and may expose patients to health risks.”
Order of April 15, 2025, suspending for one year dietary supplements containing the plant Garcinia cambogia Desr. and all preparations made from parts of this plant.
On April 17, 2025, an order was published suspending for one year in France the importation, introduction, and marketing, whether free or for a fee, of dietary supplements containing the plant Garcinia cambogia Desr. and all preparations made from parts of this plant. Given the acute risk posed by the consumption of these dietary supplements, it was requested to remove Garcinia cambogia-based dietary supplements from all locations where they are found and to recall them from consumers who possess them as of the entry into force of this order, on April 18, 2025.
This decree is published pending harmonized measures at the European level (which cannot be adopted for several months) and the expertise of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the safety assessment of hydroxycitric acid, the main active compound of Garcinia cambogia Desr, in accordance with the Article 8 of European Regulation 1925/2006 on the addition of vitamins, minerals, and other substances to foodstuffs.
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One-year suspension of the sale of dietary supplements containing Garcinia cambogia in France
In March 2025, Anses issued a warning strongly advising against the consumption of dietary supplements containing the plant Garcinia cambogia Dsr. or preparations based on Garcinia cambogia due to the risks of severe adverse effects associated with its consumption. The decree of April 17, 2025, suspends in France for one year the importation, introduction, and marketing, whether for a fee or free of charge, of dietary supplements containing the plant Garcinia cambogia Desr and all preparations derived from this plant.
What is Garcinia cambogia?
Garcinia cambogia Desr. is a plant traditionally used in India for culinary as well as medicinal purposes. This plant and preparations derived from it are permitted in several countries of the European Union. Dietary supplements based on extracts of Garcinia cambogia Desr are indicated for weight loss. The slimming properties of this plant are attributed to hydroxycitric acid (HCA) present in the fruit’s pericarp.
Severe adverse effects related to the consumption of Garcinia cambogia
In 2019, within the framework of the Nutrivigilance system, ANSES received a report of a fatal fulminant hepatitis case associated with the consumption of a dietary supplement containing, among other ingredients, Garcinia cambogia. Furthermore, since the establishment of the Nutrivigilance system in 2009, thirty-eight reports of adverse effects potentially linked to the consumption of dietary supplements based on Garcinia cambogia Desr. have been brought to ANSES’s attention. In light of this data, ANSES took the initiative on March 31, 2020, to assess the risks associated with the consumption of dietary supplements containing Garcinia cambogia. The agency conducted an analysis of cases of adverse effects identified by French, European, Canadian, and American monitoring systems, complemented by a literature review. It has identified cases of liver, psychiatric, digestive (pancreatitis), cardiac, and muscular (rhabdomyolysis) damage associated with the consumption of dietary supplements based on Garcinia cambogia Desr., which can occur in individuals who are ill, have medical histories, or are healthy. The results of this analysis thus constitute a warning from Anses. In March 2025, Anses advises against the consumption of products based on Garcinia cambogia Desr. or preparations made from this plant for the whole population.
Garcinia cambogia Desr. already prohibited in medicinal preparations made in pharmacies for weight loss purposes.
Furthermore, in 2012, the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) banned the use of the plant Garcinia cambogia for weight loss in magistral preparations made in pharmacies, “as these preparations have not proven their effectiveness and may expose patients to health risks.”
Order of April 15, 2025, suspending for one year dietary supplements containing the plant Garcinia cambogia Desr. and all preparations made from parts of this plant.
On April 17, 2025, an order was published suspending for one year in France the importation, introduction, and marketing, whether free or for a fee, of dietary supplements containing the plant Garcinia cambogia Desr. and all preparations made from parts of this plant. Given the acute risk posed by the consumption of these dietary supplements, it was requested to remove Garcinia cambogia-based dietary supplements from all locations where they are found and to recall them from consumers who possess them as of the entry into force of this order, on April 18, 2025.
This decree is published pending harmonized measures at the European level (which cannot be adopted for several months) and the expertise of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the safety assessment of hydroxycitric acid, the main active compound of Garcinia cambogia Desr, in accordance with the Article 8 of European Regulation 1925/2006 on the addition of vitamins, minerals, and other substances to foodstuffs.
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