Thermogenic Fat Burners for Weight Loss (Feeling the Burn)

Other herbal supplements have also shown promise for thermogenic activity. The Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics published a study examining the effects of an herbal mixture of yerba maté, damiana and guarana on gastric emptying and weight loss and maintenance.²⁰ The herbal mixture significantly delayed gastric emptying, reduced the time to perceived gastric fullness and induced significant weight loss over 45 days.

Garcinia cambogia is a South Asian fruit that contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA). HCA has been shown to significantly suppress food intake and body weight regain; its effects were not impacted by adding CLA or guar gum.²¹ Another study published in Gene Expression showed a patented HCA ingredient (as Super CitriMax®, from InterHealth Nutraceuticals) significantly restricted body weight growth.²² The response was associated with lowered abdominal fat leptin, a hormone indicating degree of hunger, while plasma leptin levels remained unaffected.

And a study at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, demonstrated Super CitriMax and, to a greater degree, the combination of Super CitriMax, ChromeMate® niacin-bound chromium and Gymnema sylvestra extract could serve as safe weight management supplements.²³ Sixty moderately obese subjects were randomly assigned to receive 4,667 mg/d of Super CitriMax or a combination Super CitriMax and 400 mcg of ChromeMate and 400 mg of Gymnema sylvestra extract or a placebo. After eight weeks, body weight and BMI decreased by 5 to 6 percent in both the Super CitriMax group and the Super CitriMax, ChromeMate and Gymnema sylvestra group.

Licorice flavonoid oil is a newer thermogenic botanical compound shown to suppress fat accumulation. In 2004, a study reported that licorice hydrophobic flavonoids have abdominal fat-lowering and hypoglycemic effects.²⁴

Another hot new ingredient in the thermogenic fat-burning arena is fucoxanthin, a carotenoid found in edible seaweed. A Japanese study reported fucoxanthin helps reduce abdominal WAT weights in rats; supplementation also upregulates the expression of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 in WAT.²⁵ Another study involved administration of fucoxanthin and fish oil to mice; the results showed a greater reduction in weight gain of WAT when both fucoxanthin and fish oil were combined versus just fucoxanthin.²⁶

The International Journal of Molecular Medicine published a study that showed fucoxanthinol, fucoxanthin’s metabolite, exhibited greater suppressive effects on lipid accumulation and decreased glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity than sole fucoxanthin.²⁷

Specialty Ingredients

Specialty ingredients, such as 3-acetyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone, better known as 7-oxo-DHEA, also weigh heavy in the thermogenic area. In one recent study, 30 obese subjects took 7-oxo-DHEA (as 7-Keto® from Humanetics Corp.) or a placebo twice a day for eight weeks.²⁸ The rate of change in body fat per four-week interval in the 7-Keto group was 3.1 times that in the placebo group. The study showed that 7-Keto combined with exercise and a reduced calorie diet, reduces more body weight and fat than without the supplement.

Along the same lines, another recent study found 7-Keto in combination with calcium citrate, green tea extract, ascorbic acid, chromium nicotinate and cholecalciferol (HUM5007) increased RMR and thermogenesis above basal levels with the possibility of benefiting obese individuals with impaired energy expenditure.²⁹ And a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial in 2005 found overweight subjects who supplemented with a formula containing 7-oxo-DHEA, L-tyrosine, asparagus root extract, choline bitartrate, inositol, copper gluconate, manganese, and potassium iodide (as 7-Keto Naturalean™), in addition to diet and exercise, had greater weight loss than just diet and exercise.³⁰

Another option is a thermogenic drink. A 2008 study showed a thermogenic drink (as Celsius™ from Celcius Inc.) significantly increased the resting energy expenditure, free-fatty acid and glycerol appearance concluding “it may promote weight loss and improve body composition.”³¹ Another study gave 20 healthy men and women 12-oz. of Celsius™, and on a separate day, gave the same subjects 12-oz. of Diet Coke®.³² Testing indicated that the metabolic rate increased by 13.8 percent after one hour, 14.4 percent after two hours and 8.5 percent after three hours of ingesting Celsius™. On the contrary, statistically insignificant increases in metabolic rate were noted after Diet Coke® was ingested.

Shedding pounds is not an easy thing to do, but with the help of natural supplements encouraging thermogenesis, it can help take some “weight” off.

For a full list of references, click to the next page.

Editor's Note: Interested in learning more about the weight management category? Check out the free INSIDER Webinar, "A Real World Look at Weight Management" online.