Why Fat Burners Don’t Work..

Fat burners are everywhere and for a good reason. With billions of people who are overweight, everyone is looking for a ‘quick fix’. Next to protein powders, fat burners are the one of the most sold supplement out there.

What is a fat burner?

The term ‘fat burner’ is used to describe 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 somehow cause long-term adaptations that promote fat metabolism. A fat burner is not a product that will help you burn fat even if your exercise and nutrition is crap. You can’t outdo a bad diet.

Fat burners usually come as a supplement containing ingredients such as caffeine, L-carnitine, green tea, conjugated linoleic acid, forskolin, chromium, Yohimbe, Glucomannan, and Raspberry Ketones. 

Do fat burners really work?

It’s a common misconception that simply just taking these fat burning supplements will give you results without any work. If that were the case, there would be no overweight people on Earth. Fat loss comes down to energy balance, insulin resistance and preserving lean muscle mass. What makes fat burners flawed are the claims of their makers:

• Increasing fat oxidation rates
• Inducing thermogensis
• Manipulating enzymes that control fat loss and fat gain;
• Improve nutrient partitioning

Most of the ingredients found in the fat burners on the market, are ineffective in these regards. For example, the classic claim of the ingredient “carnitine” in fat burners can transport fat to become burned and used as energy. Carnitine is synthesized in the body from the amino acids lysine and methionine. The molecule is involved in fatty acid metabolism. You can find carnitine in many foods. Red meats such as grass fed beef are the best options to add to your diet. Fish and poultry are other good sources. In essence, carnitine transports the chains of fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix. Thus, allowing the cells to break down fat and get energy from fat reserves. There have been many studies about carnitine’s effect on fat loss and body composition. Sadly, all of them were either poorly executed or did not show any significant benefit of taking carnitine to speed up fat loss. The only two valid ingredients that are backed up by scientific claims are caffeine and green tea extract. These are shown to help curb your appetite and increase energy. These can help indirectly burn fat but do not directly burn body fat.

Are fat burners dangerous?

Yes. They can be dangerous. Fat burners do not need to be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration before they hit the market. Instead of being FDA-regulated, the responsibility of safety and effectiveness is on the manufacturer, which can be risky. There have been many instances of fat burners being removed from shelves because they contain harmful ingredients. Some of these instances have caused consumers to feel side effects such as high blood pressure, strokes and seizures. Side effects of fat burners include:

• Anxiety
• Lack of sleep
• Increased blood pressure
• Mood changes
• Heart attacks
• Digestive issues

How can I burn body fat?

As you can see, most fat burners don’t live up to the hype and are a waste of money. You are better off investing your money to book in with our team who have years of experience in helping people lose weight in a safe and sustainable way.

The better path is the one built on solid proof that weight (fat) loss is best attained SAFELY by taking the following 3-ingredient “pill”:

• Reducing total calorie intake to create a caloric deficit
• Consuming those calories via healthy sources (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins)
• Moving/exercising to preserve lean tissue and assist with the calorie deficit

If more people swallowed this “pill” there would be more muscle and less fat roaming the country.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21951331

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010674/

https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpregu.00832.2005