There are a ton of weight loss supplements on store shelves now a days because everyone wants the miracle cure to their ever growing waistline. The reality is that only a few weight loss supplements actually work.
Most ingredients are used based on theory and not science so no one knows for sure if they work or not. Yet, millions of people will still buy the product because of the hope that it might work.
Here are a few ingredients that are actually backed up by science and research to show that they do work in helping you lose more weight and get rid of that extra fat.
These are actually ingredients that you can find on your store shelves.
1. Coffee (caffeine)
About 75% of the caffeine consumed in the United States comes from good old fashioned coffee. Caffeine has been shown for years to enhance alertness and performance. Research has also shown us that it contains calorie-burning properties. For instance, a study involving lean and overweight (obese) subjects reported that a single 100-mg dose of caffeine (equivalent to a little over 1 cup of coffee) was enough to raise their calorie-burning rate by up to 4% for 2.5 hours.
While a 4% increase may not seem like a big deal, it can turn into one. The researchers in this study explain, “…if it is assumed that there is no compensatory increase in food intake, the increase [in calorie-burning rate] after caffeine would represent an energy deficit of 75-110 kcal/day. These changes may be small but when consistent with consumption it can accumulate and lead to substantial changes in body weight.”
The other great thing about is is that evidence suggests that caffeine’s calorie-burning effects persist with consistent consumption. The subjects in the above study were all mild to moderate consumers of caffeine, consuming anywhere from 250-500 mg per day, equivalent to ~3-6 cups of coffee. Yet they all enjoyed a calorie-burning boost from the relatively small dose given to them. That is even better news for those who don't normally drink 3-6 cups of coffee a day.
2. Hot Pepper (capsaicin)
Have you ever added cayenne pepper to any of your foods? Did you get that warm feeling and maybe your body temperature increased a little? For the next 30 minutes your calorie-burning rate is increased at 10% above baseline, equivalent to burning an additional 129 Calories per day, or 27% of the caloric value of the entire meal. Sounds too good to be true? This fictitious scenario became a reality at Kyoto University in Japan when scientists gave young women a 481-Calorie meal consisting of a yellow curry sauce containing 3 mg of capsaicin.
Capsaicin is what is responsible for sensation produced by eating hot red peppers. It’s also to blame for the sweat that forms from your temperature rising. This is the effect of capsaicin increasing your calorie-burning rate by stimulating a process known as thermogenesis. Thermogenesis essentially involves the release of calories in the form of heat. Not only can capsaicin increase thermogenesis, capsaicin has also been found to improve fullness after a meal, which helps you from overeating throughout the day. It has been reported to increase calorie-burning rate and reduce body fat.
Capsaicin may also boost calorie burning and increase your fat loss efforts when combined with exercise. When scientists gave healthy subjects capsaicin an hour before performing low-intensity exercise (stationary cycling), they burned more fat. The increase was impressive enough that the scientists suggested capsaicin be used as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of elevated blood lipid levels and/or obesity.
3. Cinnamon
Who doesn't love cinnamon especially when it is on a dessert. Ok I am not saying you need to start eating more desserts, but what if I told you that it may help “influence” more of those carbohydrates into lean muscle and away from fat cells?
Most of the carbohydrate calories you eat are eventually converted into blood sugar. The hormone insulin helps direct glucose into your body’s cells, including muscle cells. If your muscle cells are more sensitive to insulin, the more effective they can grab the extra glucose and store it for later use, such as providing your muscles with energy during exercise. If everything else is the same, this leaves less glucose available for your fat cells, which might otherwise use it to make body fat.
Of the many plants studied to date, cinnamon has been reported to be among the most powerful in terms of its ability to enhance insulin sensitivity and keep blood glucose levels in check. When added to a carbohydrate-rich meal, it reduces the rise in blood glucose normally experienced afterwards. While the effects on insulin sensitivity may take a couple of weeks to manifest, the improvements in blood glucose control appear virtually immediately.
So cinnamon increases insulin sensitivity and improves blood glucose regulation. It may also help you in other ways as well. Dr Richard Anderson (Ph.D.) at the US Department of Agriculture has conducted numerous studies on cinnamon. He says that if cinnamon is consumed long-term, it can enhance lean body mass (this includes muscle) and reduce body fat, something he and his scientific colleagues demonstrated in a study performed in 2006.
4. Green Tea
White, green and black varieties of tea all contain caffeine. The attention green tea is getting though is from its potential fat burning properties. Its fat-burning effects are not due to the caffeine it contains. Thought weight loss supplements are including this ingredient into their formulas more and more.
In one frequently cited study, healthy young men were given a green tea extract three times per day. Their 24-hour calorie-burning rate was 3.5% higher than that of subjects taking a placebo. This was equivalent to burning an additional 200 Calories per day -more than enough to eventually produce substantial weight loss and reductions in body fat.
Not only did green tea cause the subjects to burn more calories, but a larger proportion of the calories burned were determined by the scientists to have come from fat. Various scientists’ comments were (they used the term “remarkable” to describe green tea’s effects), they seemed to be quite impressed. Indeed, green tea’s thermogenic effects in this study were as powerful as much larger doses of caffeine.
These are just a few of the ingredients found in a few weight loss supplements proven through science to help you actually burn more calories.
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE
Dulloo et al. (1989). Am J Clin Nutr 49:44.
Matsumoto et al. (2000). J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 46(6): 309.
Shin and Moritani (2007). J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 53(2): 124.
Hlebowicz et al. (2007). Am J Clin Nutr 85: 1552.
Solomon and Blannin (2009). Eur J Appl Physiol 105(6): 969.
Ziegenfuss et al. (2006). J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 3:45.
Dr. Anderson’s comments were provided during personal communications conducted in March 2010.
Chim et al. (2008). J Anal Toxicol, 32(8): 702.
Dulloo et al. (1999). Am J Clin Nutr 70: 1040.
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