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The term commonly used with fat burning supplements is thermogenics, which as the name suggests, has to do with temperature. Fat Burners (or Thermogenic Fat Burners) can increase the body's temperature enabling the body's ability to burn calories as heat; to be used as energy, thereby preventing them from being stored a fat. Effective thermogenic supplements are those that contain key ingredients that create or support a fat burning 'thermogenic' environment by working together & in synergy. Some of these ingredients also aid in reducing appetite & spiking an increase in short-term energy. Such common ingredients are:Â
Garcinia Cambogia1,2: May promote weight loss & suppresses appetite, may increase fat oxidation & mobilisation, may promote glycogen synthesis, may increase energy levels.
Citrus Aurantium3: An effective calorie & fat burning ingredient. May help to raise metabolic rate, burn body fat & does not affect the central nervous system, may increase energy levels.
Coleus Forskohlii4: May accelerate the breakdown of existing fat stores, may promote healthy cardiovascular function, may lower elevated blood pressure, may increase levels of cellular messenger cAMP (cyclicadenosine monophosphatpe) that in turn may accelerate the breakdown of existing fat stores. May also alter hunger and fullness.
Guarana Extract5: When combined with other ingredients it may help to boost their effect, has been used for centuries. May reduce fatigue & increase energy levels as well as suppress appetite.
Green Tea Extract6: When combined with the other ingredients it may help boost their effect to burn body fat. It has been used for centuries, may reduce fatigue & increase energy levels, as well as lower cholesterol & triglyceride levels.
Banaba Leaf Extract7: May help to regulate and balance blood sugar levels. It may help transport blood sugar into the cells & as a result it may aid in controlling carbohydrate cravings. Banaba leaf can also help with lipid metabolism.
White Willow Bark8: The bark of the white willow tree is a source of salicin & other salicylates – compounds. When combined with the other ingredients, it may help to boost weight loss.
Potassium Pyruvate9: Or any other forms of pyruvate may increase the resting metabolic rate and boost fat loss. It may facilitate the transport of blood sugar into muscle tissue to increase available energy.
Spirulina10,11: May support healthy weight maintenance, may lower cholesterol, may increase energy & support a general sense of well being as well as reducing muscle damage after exercise.
Alpha Lipoic Acid12,13: Its ability to potentiate and increase the action of insulin means it may be used to help reduce blood sugars and to help boost the effectiveness of other supplements such as creatine. It may also help with suppressing appetite and increasing metabolic rate.
Guggul Extract14,15: May improve blood lipid levels and help reduce cholesterol as well as acting as an anti-inflammatory ingredient.
Cayenne16: Cayenne as well as other chillis may raise the body's metabolic rate and also aid in fat loss through the compound capsaicin. Cayenne itself may also help with control the rise of blood sugars.
Thermogenic Fat burner supplements are the most commonly used fat loss products in the sports, bodybuilding & fitness arena today & stack well with other fat loss supplements including CLA or L-Carnitine. Fat loss supplements are highly effective and are best cycled for optimal benefit.
Fat Burners are commonly presented & sold as Complementary Medicines, Registered Therapeutic Items or Goods and Formulated Supplementary Sports Foods in Australia. Fat loss supplements are not a sole source of nutrition and should be used in conjunction with an appropriate physical training or exercise programme. Not suitable for children or pregnant women. Should only be used under medical or dietetic supervision. Always read label prior to use.
2. Onakpoya I, Hung SK, Perry R, Wider B, Ernst E. ‘The Use of Garcinia Extract (Hydroxycitric Acid) as a Weight loss Supplement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Clinical Trials.’ J Obes. 2011;2011:509038. Epub 2010 Dec 14.
3. Haaz S, Fontaine KR, Cutter G, Limdi N, Perumean-Chaney S, Allison DB. ‘Citrus aurantium and synephrine alkaloids in the treatment of overweight and obesity: an update.’ Obes Rev. 2006 Feb;7(1):79-88.
4. Godard et al. ‘Body Composition and Hormonal Adaptations Associated with Forskolin Consumption in Overweight and Obese Men.’ Obesity Research (2005) 13, 1335–1343; doi: 10.1038/oby.2005.162
5. Anderson T, Foght J (2001). "Weight loss and delayed gastric emptying following a South American herbal preparation in overweight patients". J Hum Nutr Diet 14 (3): 243.
6. Nagao T, Hase T, Tokimitsu I. ‘A green tea extract high in catechins reduces body fat and cardiovascular risks in humans.’ Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jun;15(6):1473-83.
7. Stohs SJ, Miller H, Kaats GR. ‘A review of the efficacy and safety of banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa L.) and corosolic acid.’ Phytother Res. 2012 Mar;26(3):317-24. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3664. Epub 2011 Nov 17.
8. Kalman et al (2000), Effects of a weight-loss aid in healthy overweight adults: double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Current Therapeutic Research, 61: 199-205
9. Egras AM, Hamilton WR, Lenz TL, Monaghan MS. ‘An evidence-based review of fat modifying supplemental weight loss products.’ J Obes. 2011;2011. pii: 297315. Epub 2010 Aug 10.
10. Lu HK, Hsieh CC, Hsu JJ, Yang YK, Chou HN. ‘Preventive effects of Spirulina platensis on skeletal muscle damage under exercise-induced oxidative stress.’ Eur J Appl Physiol. 2006 Sep;98(2):220-6. Epub 2006 Aug 30.
11. Torres-Duran PV, Ferreira-Hermosillo A, Juarez-Oropeza MA. ‘Antihyperlipemic and antihypertensive effects of Spirulina maxima in an open sample of Mexican population: a preliminary report.’ Lipids Health Dis. 2007 Nov 26;6:33.
12. Kim et al (2004), Effect of alpha-lipoic acid combined with creatine monohydrate on human skeletal muscle creatine and phosphagen concentration. Nature Medicine, 10: 727 – 733
13. Prietro-Hontoria et al (2009), Lipoic acid prevents body weight gain induced by a high fat diet in rats: Effects on intestinal sugar transport. Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry, 65: 43-40
14. Ulbricht C, Basch E, Szapary P, Hammerness P, Axentsev S, Boon H, Kroll D, Garraway L, Vora M, Woods J; Natural Standard Research Collaboration. ‘Guggul for hyperlipidemia: a review by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration.’ Complement Ther Med. 2005 Dec;13(4):279-90. Epub 2005 Sep 23.
15. Deng R. ‘Therapeutic effects of guggul and its constituent guggulsterone: cardiovascular benefits.’ Cardiovasc Drug Rev. 2007 Winter;25(4):375-90.
16. Ahuja KD, Robertson IK, Geraghty DP, Ball MJ. ‘Effects of chili consumption on postprandial glucose, insulin, and energy metabolism.’ Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jul;84(1):63-9.