The Benefits of Fat Burners

You've probably heard of fat burners, those pills that can melt fat off your body like ice cream on a hot summer day. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but even the most effective fat burners aren't magical. They are only supplements. That is, even though they are made with ingredients that can help you burn fat faster, they cannot replace a healthy diet and exercise routine.

What Are Fat Burners?

Think of fat burners as a scope on a hunting rifle, except you're looking for fat cells.

Your diet is the gun in this metaphor, and exercise is the ammunition. Fat burners may help you target fat more accurately and efficiently. However, without the heavy artillery of your diet and some bullets in the chamber, a scope is only useful for looking at things from a distance—not for bringing home results!

So, exactly what is a fat burner? According to the journal Obesity Reviews, the term "fat burner" refers to "nutrition supplements that are claimed to acutely increase fat metabolism or energy expenditure, impair fat absorption, increase weight loss, increase fat oxidation during exercise, or cause long-term adaptations that promote fat metabolism." However, that is a broad range of functions, and in pill form, it can mean a variety of things! So let's delve a little deeper.

How do fat burners function? Some of the key ingredients in fat burners are intended to stimulate hormonal responses in the body, as well as to begin breaking down fat and using it as a fuel source.

Caffeine is the main ingredient in most fat burners, and it aids weight loss by increasing metabolism and assisting the body in using fat for fuel. It also aids in the production of energy for exercise and other calorie-burning activities. Caffeine makes it easier for the body to break down the fatty acids found in adipose tissue, which is also called belly fat. Once the fatty acids are broken down, they enter the bloodstream and can be burned up by our bodies to create energy.

Are Fat Burners Effective?

Yes, if you have reasonable expectations of what "working" means for a fat burner.

Some people believe that if they use a fat burner, they should be able to burn off massive amounts of fat each week. It's not going to happen! However, there are some ways you can assist a fat burner in its work.

Establish reasonable expectations: While supplements can help you lose fat faster, you won't lose 10 pounds in a week just because you're taking a thermogenic supplement. Sorry!

Keep this number in mind: for average, healthy people, a safe rate of fat loss is 1-3 pounds per week. On rare occasions, you can increase this rate to 4 pounds per week, but it is not sustainable. Your body will eventually reach a plateau, and fat loss will slow.

If you lose weight too quickly, whether on a fat burner or not, you may be losing a lot of lean muscle mass. You should reconsider your fat-loss strategy unless you want to look like a shapeless coat hanger and feel as healthy and athletic as one.

Set your weight-loss goals for the week and the month, not for the day. You'll stay more motivated and see great results from your program if you meet incremental goals over time. Sure, you might not see any results for a few weeks—that's to be expected. However, with the assistance of a fat burner, your fat loss will be sustained over time.

Are Fat Burners Safe to Use?

If a product is on the market, one would assume that it has undergone safety testing. Are fat burners approved by the FDA? Not quite.

Unfortunately, the FDA doesn't have much control over fat burners. This makes it hard to believe that products that claim to burn fat actually work. Because brands can use whatever terms they want to market their product and increase its appeal, it's not always clear whether a product will do what it claims.

But are fat burners dangerous? Even if they don't always produce the results they promise, that doesn't make them harmful, right? No, not always. Fat burners have a number of side effects that you should be aware of.

Hypertension: Because the extra caffeine in fat burners raises blood pressure, it can lead to hypertension if you already have high blood pressure.

Liver damage: Long-term use of fat burners has been linked to liver damage and failure.

Contraindications: Just because something can be purchased over the counter does not always imply that it is safe to consume. Fat burners may include ingredients that can reduce the effectiveness of your medication or interfere with it, resulting in health problems.

Anxiety/panic attacks: Yohimbe has been linked to an increase in anxiety, panic attacks, and nausea.

Because the FDA does not fully regulate fat burner labeling, there may be additional ingredients that aren't listed or listed under a different name, so you can't always be sure you're getting what's advertised. There are also no real guidelines governing the terms "natural" or "all-natural," so just because a fat burner is marketed as such does not imply that it is actually healthy.

Fat-Burning Ingredients that have been Shown to be Effective

There is no scientific evidence that fat-burning pills or supplements work.

However, they usually contain ingredients that are safe to consume in small amounts. Some have even been shown to help burn fat when consumed naturally.

However, it is impossible to know exactly how much is used in the supplement. Even if the bottle specifies an amount on the label, the amount could be off. It's unclear how the manufacturer calculated the total amount.

On the label, manufacturers do not always list all of the ingredients. Also, regulators don't have to look into these products in detail unless there are complaints or negative health effects from using these supplements.

If you are allergic to the supplement's ingredients or take too much of a specific nutrient, this can be disastrous.

So, let's go over five of the most popular science-backed fat-burning substances that are available in a variety of natural forms.

Caffeine

Caffeine can be harmful in large doses. Natural caffeine in coffee or tea, on the other hand, is safe in moderation. Coffee with no added sugar or additives contains a lot of antioxidants that are good for you.

Several studies have found that caffeine can increase your metabolism by up to 11%.

This means that your body makes better use of fat to produce energy. Regular exercise and a healthy diet will also help you burn fat more easily.

A 2019 review of several studies found that "drinking caffeine may help people lose weight, BMI, and body fat."

Extract of Green Tea

Green tea is praised for its alleged health benefits. This includes assisting you in losing weight through fat burning.

Caffeine is present in natural green tea. The real star of green tea, however, is an antioxidant called catechin.

A review from 2010 in the journal Physiology and Behavior says that catechins and caffeine work together to speed up metabolism and thermogenesis. This is the process by which your body burns fat to produce energy.

Protein Powder

Protein is an essential component for fat loss. It not only speeds up your metabolism, but it also makes you feel less hungry by lowering ghrelin, a hormone that makes you feel hungry.

According to a 2017 study, participants who ate a high-protein diet on a regular basis lost significantly more weight than those who did not. Even participants who did not follow a high protein diet consistently but did increase protein consumption lost weight.

There are numerous sugar-free and artificial additive-free options available.

To ensure you're getting enough protein, try adding protein powder as a supplement to your diet. Every day, consume 25 to 50 grams of protein powder.

Soluble Fiber

One of the two types of fiber is soluble fiber. The other is unsolvable.

By absorbing water, soluble fiber forms a gel in your gut. This helps increase hormones like GLP-1 that make you feel full while suppressing appetite hormones like ghrelin.

According to a study from 2010, eating more natural soluble fiber may help your body take in less fat and calories, which could help you burn off extra fat.

Yohimbine

Yohimbine is derived from the bark of the Pausinystalia yohimbe tree. It is well-known as an aphrodisiac. However, it has some fat-burning potential.

Yohimbine inhibits the binding of adrenaline to alpha-2 adrenergic receptors. This allows adrenaline to stay in your body longer, allowing it to burn fat for energy.

Yohimbine was found to reduce body fat composition by 2.2 percent in a small 2006 study of 20 professional soccer players. This does not appear to be much. However, 2.2 percent is a significant amount when you are already a fit athlete with low body fat.