Adding supplements to an exercise and dietary program can help to enhance fat loss, since they boost metabolism and enhance the use of fat for energy. Research indicates that certain supplements are more effective than others for increasing fat loss. Consult your health-care provider before taking any supplements.
Bacopa Monnieri
Scientists from Devi Ahilya University in India investigated the impact of the plant extract Bacopa monnieri on thyroid hormone, which increases the metabolism and enhances fat loss, in male mice. At the end of the study, which was published in the July 2002 issue of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology," lead author A. Kar and colleagues discovered that subjects taking 200 mg of Bacopa monnieri experienced significant increases in thyroid hormone thyroxine, or T4, and triiodothyronine, T3.
Green Tea Extract
Green tea extract might boost weight loss by stimulating the utilization of fat during exercise, according to a study by lead author Takatoshi Murase and colleagues from Kao Corporation in Japan. The report, published in the January 2005 issue of the "American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology," revealed that mice taking green tea extract increased the use of fat as energy during exercise, which improved endurance exercise performance. Researchers stated that antioxidants in green tea called catechins are responsible for these results.
Leucine
Researchers from the University of Sao Paulo studied the effects of the amino acid leucine on body composition, or fat to muscle ratio in the body, in rats. Lead investigator Jose Donato and researchers randomly assigned subjects a calorie reduced diet with or without 5.91 g of leucine for six weeks. At the end of the treatment, scientists discovered that leucine group lost a greater amount of body fat compared to the non-leucine group, the December 2005 issue of the journal "Nutrition" reported.
White Kidney Bean Extract
White kidney bean extract contains the compound Phase 2, which might have beneficial effects on weight loss, according to a study by UCLA researchers. They discovered that Phase 2 stops an enzyme that breaks down starches into sugars, which allows starches to stay in the body as long as fiber. This prevents sugar from being deposited as body fat and allows stored fat to be used for energy. Pregnant women and type-1 diabetics should not use Phase 2, according to the Science Daily website.
References
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology: Relative efficacy of three medicinal plant extracts in the alteration of thyroid hormone concentrations in male mice
- Science Daily: Green Tea Extract Boosts Exercise Endurance 8-24%, Utilizing Fat As Energy Source
- Nutrition: Effects of leucine supplementation on the body composition and protein status of rats submitted to food restriction
- Science Daily: Carb-cutting Enzyme Stopped By Bean Extract, Endocrinologists Say
Member Comments