Best And Most Effective Fat Burner Ingredients
The vast array of fat burner supplements means that it is difficult to understand which nutrients are effective and which one’s aren’t.
Therefore, this article uses the evidence available to help point you in the right direction so you can pick the best supplement for you.
LAST UPDATED: April 2019 by Ben.
Fat Loss
It is mid October and we seem to have abruptly seen the last of the excellent summer.
This means there are a number of holiday dates quickly approaching and lots of people decide to go on their ‘winter bulk’.
A winter bulk is usually a period of consuming a high calorie diet to add more muscle and size.
This potentially conceals lots of muscle definition including abs.
The idea is to then do a ‘cut’ further down the line which includes more cardiovascular exercise and a lower calorie diet to sculpt the formed muscle and reduce the fat levels.
This self prescribed extreme calorie intake cycle is not always healthy.
‘…In order to prevent severe and chronic health effects, nutritionists and trainers should advise the athletes about the possible risks of self-made diets…’ [1]
Aesthetics
Visible abdominal muscles, rightly or wrongly, are a perception of fitness, strength and sexiness.
Therefore, it is increasingly common for people to start buying fat burning products, however, as with testosterone boosters that are on the market there’s a lot of crap out there with one mission in mind – blitzing your wallet.
We want to separate the wheat from the chaff so you don’t have to run the expensive gauntlet of finding the right products that actually work.
Research
So we have done research on your behalf and whittled the best and active ingredients that you need to look for in a fat burner, thus, if these ingredients are on the label and there is not a propriety blend you are on to a winner.
However, it is worth noting that fat burners are not magic pills, they will not alone decrease fat cell size.
That said, specific ingredients can increase the resting metabolic rate which in turn increases calorie expenditure.
‘Taken on a daily basis, thermogenic dietary supplementation may increase overall energy expenditure, potentially leading to reductions in fat mass over time.’ [2]
Therefore, for maximum effect combine fat burner supplements with a nutritious and healthy nutrition plan and an exercise regime to give you that winning edge.
Nutrients
Here is a list of ingredients to look out for in a supplement. Or you can buy them separately.
These nutrients have studies that demonstrate their ability to increase the metabolic rate.
Green Tea
Clinical studies suggest that green tea extract may boost metabolism and help burn fat.
One study found that the combination of green tea and caffeine improved weight loss and maintenance in people who were overweight and moderately obese.
It is considered that substances in green tea known as catechins are responsible for the herb’s fat-burning effect.
‘…Drinking four cups of green tea led to a significant reduction in weight…’ [3]
Green Coffee Bean
Green coffee beans are coffee beans that have not yet been roasted.
These coffee beans contain a higher amount of the chemical chlorogenic acid.
For weight loss, chlorogenic acid in green coffee is thought to affect how the body handles blood sugar and metabolism and this has been demonstrated in studies. [4]
Caffeine
Caffeine can assist with endurance, and tested athletes saw an edge from caffeine in scientific studies.
In some trials, the stimulant boosted athletes’ speed.
In others, it helped them last longer before they spent all their energy.
Caffeine also raises the metabolism which means you burn more calories. Some studies show that it can curb soreness after exercise, too.
This means you could get back to your training sooner and training means more calories burnt. [5]
Cayenne Pepper
The hot and spicy taste of cayenne pepper comes from capsaicin, a compound found in many hot peppers.
Capsaicin is known to boost metabolism, causing the body to produce extra heat and burn more calories for fuel.
‘…consumption of acceptable RP doses served at a single meal enhance thermogenesis and moderate orexigenic sensations in healthy, lean individuals…’ [6]
Glucomannan
Glucomannan has a mixed bag of results, however, that does not limit its use as a dietary aid for weight loss, particularly for those who are suffering from obesity.
For those people who are not classed as obese the effectiveness of the root has less success, but clinical studies demonstrate that it can contribute to significant weight loss for severely obese people. [7]
Furthermore, glucomannan supplementation appears to be enhanced greatly by using it alongside an exercise regime whereby it improves body composition and cholesterol measures. [8]
Vitamin B12
B12 helps your body effectively use fats and carbohydrates for energy use. It also helps with the form of new proteins.
You may wonder then what it has to do with fat burning or why it is important to include in a supplement or part of your dietary intake…
Clinical studies have established a link between low levels of B12 and people being obese, and overweight. [9]
High levels of B12 are also associated with a reduction of cellulite.
Vitamin B6
The body needs vitamin B6 for more than 100 enzyme reactions involved in metabolism.
And a healthy metabolic rate increases fat reduction as you burn your energy stores. If your diet is not varied and balanced you are at risk of losing reducing B6 levels.
It has been verified that a diet rich in B6 can help to maintain fat free mass. [10]
Zinc
Plays a primary role in insulin health by improving the production of enzymes which protect the cells and detoxify biomarkers which inhibit metabolic function.
It is a metal required for healthy growth, it was initially discovered that obese mice were low on zinc. [11]
There was also a correlation between obese patients and low levels of zinc which has encouraged further study. [12]
Fenugreek
A study from 2010 demonstrated that fenugreek help reduce fat mass and increase lean muscle mass.
An earlier study from 2009 came to a similar conclusion.
‘As in the present study beneficial decrease in total body as well as adipose tissue weight is seen, fenugreek can be accepted as one of the herbal preparation for treating obesity.’ [13]
Vitamin D
It is widely considered and recognised that obesity is a global pandemic, one that is present in developed nations but also increasing in developing countries as cheap and calorie laden processed foods become more available.
A study including 77 vitamin D deficient women proved that those who were administered a daily dose of 1000iu vitamin D saw significant fat loss compared to the placebo group. [14]
Conclusion
There are many ways to lose that stubborn fat.
Essentially it starts with physical activity and nutrition.
It all leads back to a very simple equation.
You need to burn more calories than you consume. It is as simple as that.
So, you either have to exercise lots to ensure that you are using all of that energy, or you have to be very careful regarding your calorie intake. Which boils down to your diet.
However, there are a few ‘hacks’ that can help you.
And this comes down to supplements, but more importantly, what’s in those supplements.
Final words
This list of nutrients that we have complied all have scientific evidence demonstrating that they can help your body bun those extra calories that you wouldn’t do normally.
They raise the metabolic rate, so you can squeeze out that extra calorie burn to help you burn those stubborn areas of fat.
References
[1] The risks of self-made diets: the case of an amateur bodybuilder. Della Guardia L, Cavallaro M, Cena H. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Apr 1;12:16. doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0077-8. eCollection 2015. PMID: 25908930
[2] The effects of a single-dose thermogenic supplement on resting metabolic rate and hemodynamic variables in healthy females–a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Campbell BI, Zito G, Colquhoun R, Martinez N, Kendall K, Buchanan L, Lehn M, Johnson M, St Louis C, Smith Y, Cloer B, Pingel A. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2016 Mar 31;13:13. doi: 10.1186/s12970-016-0123-1. eCollection 2016. PMID: 27034624
[3] The effects of green tea consumption on metabolic and anthropometric indices in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Mousavi A, Vafa M, Neyestani T, Khamseh M, Hoseini F. J Res Med Sci. 2013 Dec;18(12):1080-6. PMID: 24523800
[4] The effect of chlorogenic acid enriched coffee on glucose absorption in healthy volunteers and its effect on body mass when used long-term in overweight and obese people. Thom E. J Int Med Res. 2007 Nov-Dec;35(6):900-8. PMID: 18035001
[5] The effects of caffeine and exercise on body weight, fat-pad weight, and fat-cell size. Wilcox AR. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1982;14(4):317-21. PMID: 7132651
[6] The effects of hedonically acceptable red pepper doses on thermogenesis and appetite. Ludy MJ, Mattes RD. Physiol Behav. 2011 Mar 1;102(3-4):251-8. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.11.018. Epub 2010 Nov 18. PMID: 21093467
[7] [Chronic use of glucomannan in the dietary treatment of severe obesity]. Vita PM, Restelli A, Caspani P, Klinger R. Minerva Med. 1992 Mar;83(3):135-9. Italian. PMID: 1313163
[8] Effect of adding exercise to a diet containing glucomannan. Kraemer WJ, Vingren JL, Silvestre R, Spiering BA, Hatfield DL, Ho JY, Fragala MS, Maresh CM, Volek JS. Metabolism. 2007 Aug;56(8):1149-58. PMID: 17618964
[9] Association of vitamin B12 with obesity, overweight, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, and body fat composition; primary care-based study. Baltaci D, Kutlucan A, Turker Y, Yilmaz A, Karacam S, Deler H, Ucgun T, Kara IH. Med Glas (Zenica). 2013 Aug;10(2):203-10. PMID: 23892832
[10] Vitamin B6 status improves in overweight/obese women following a hypocaloric diet rich in breakfast cereals, and may help in maintaining fat-free mass. Rodríguez-Rodríguez E, López-Sobaler AM, Navarro AR, Bermejo LM, Ortega RM, Andrés P. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Oct;32(10):1552-8. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2008.131. Epub 2008 Aug 5. PMID: 18679411
[11] [Investigation of the relationships between zinc and obesity]. Chen MD, Lin PY, Lin WH. Gaoxiong Yi Xue Ke Xue Za Zhi. 1991 Dec;7(12):628-34. Japanese. PMID: 1795413
[12] Relationship between zinc and obesity. Di Martino G, Matera MG, De Martino B, Vacca C, Di Martino S, Rossi F. J Med. 1993;24(2-3):177-83. PMID: 8409780
[13] http://scholarsmepub.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/SJLS-2233-38.pdf
