• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.155-169
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• 1997

This study investigated the effect of weight control by using the commercial appetite suppressant ((-)-hydroxycitric acid(HCA) formula) and nutrition education on 72 obese women over a period of 8 weeks. During the study it conducted nutritional education for women to control their weight, thus analyzed their changes in anthropometric variables. All obese women were randomized in a double-blind method to consume either HCA(HCA group : experimental group) or placebo(placebo group : control group). Two groups were also divided randomly into 2 groups combined with commercial formula diet in 1 meal a day(HD group and PD group : HCA + gormula diet and placebo + formula diet) or not(HO group and conducted with 4 groups(HD, HO, PD, and PO group). All subjects were assigned to consume 800-1500kcal/d balanced diet which is 500kcal less than their usual energy requirement. To evaluate the effect of the weight control program, weight, percent of body fat, waist and hip circumferences, and 5 skinfold thickness were measured up to 5 times in all obese women. The mean weight of the subjects at the onset of the study was 76.5$\pm$10.6kg. The mean body mass index(BMI) wa 30.1$\pm$3.8 and it was in the upper 5 percentile of mean BMI of Korean women. At the end of the program, mean weight loss was 3.5kg after 2 weeks(p<0.001), and 5.8kg after 4 weeks(p<0.001). The waist, hip ratio(WHR) and skinfold thickness measurements of biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac and abdominum showed significant reduction over the entire study period(p<0.05). These outcome were evaluated by effect of nutritional education and counselling. The reduction of % of body fat was significantly different among the 4 groups. Women who administrated HCA demonstrated more change in weight, BMI than the placebo group. There was also significant reduction in body composition (% of body fat, WHR, and skinfold thickness) than the other groups. The HD group which was administrated HCA combined with formula diet was more decreased than other groups. It showed that this program using commercial HCA and formula diet induced not only a change in weight but also a change in body composition. The outcome of this study suggests that HCA has a more effctive change on weight control which is carried out with nutritional education and counselling.