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Do Fat Burners Burn Existing Fat?

Aug 22, 2011 | By Kay Uzoma
Do Fat Burners Burn Existing Fat?
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Although the term "fat burner" is common in discussions about weight loss and fitness, no food actually burns fat. Some foods have the ability to trigger reactions in your body that temporarily increase your metabolic rate, so you burn more calories, but those calories may come from fat, carbohydrates or even protein. In other cases, food may reduce fat absorption or enhance mechanisms involved in fat oxidation.

Foods that Enhance Calorie Burning

Protein requires more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fat. Complete protein sources --- foods that contain all the necessary amino acids --- are the best options, especially the low-fat variety. These include fish, poultry, lean meat and low fat dairy and soy. Fiber is another food that can help you burn off fat and calories more quickly. It slows digestion and prevents spikes in insulin, a hormone that causes your body to store fat and inhibits fat loss.

Supplements to Burn Fat

You can find supplements sold as fat burners in supermarkets, pharmacies and natural health stores. These supplements can contain ingredients such as green tea extract, fiber, white bean extract or caffeine. Although these are natural ingredients, they can still pose health risks. For instance, suddenly increasing fiber can lead to constipation and abdominal pain, and caffeine pills increase heart rate. As Nancy Clark points out in "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook," some fat burning supplements not only increase metabolism, they can kill people. For example, some bitter orange supplements contain sibutramine, a stimulant that elevates blood pressure and can cause stroke or heart attack. Do not take these supplements without medical advice, especially if you have a health problem.

Evidence

In a study published in the "British Journal of Nutrition" in August 2011, Oxford researchers reviewed studies on green tea's ability to affect body weight and fat. As they point out, the common thinking is that green tea's antioxidant polyphenols help to boost thermogenesis --- the production of heat due to an increased metabolic rate --- and reduce fat absorption. However, they point out that while research as of 2011 suggests a role for green tea in weight loss, study findings are inconsistent and that several mechanisms may be at play in green tea's effects on weight and fat loss.

A Better Option for Burning Calories

Calorie restriction is a common way to eliminate extra calories so you can shed unwanted pounds and fat. However, exercise will expedite your weight-loss efforts even more. A 160 pound person can burn 450 calories in 30 minutes of rollerblading, or about 290 calories jogging at a rate of 5 miles per hour for 30 minutes. Strength training helps you build muscle, which burns more calories than body fat. Exercising regularly also reduces your dependence on supplements to burn existing fat or calories.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Aug 22, 2011

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