Here are M&P’s Supplement Recommendations to Support Fat-Loss in Multiple Ways

SLIM PICKINGS

Dwayne N. Jackson, PhD

There’s more than one way to thin a cat. When you’re trying to lose body fat you’ll have much greater success if you address multiple physiological processes that increase fat reduction. You not only want to reduce your calorie intake, but you also want to reduce the impact those calories have on body fat stores. In addition, you want to encourage your body to pull additional fat from storage, doing all this while feeling as good as possible. When you address all these different ways of losing body fat, you’ll not only look better, but you’ll feel better, too.

* Boost your metabolic rate: Pick green tea extract

The active ingredient in green tea extract, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), induces thermogenesis through at least two well-defined but related means: First, by increasing the amount of fat used as energy under exercise and post-exercise conditions; second, by inhibiting the reuptake of norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which is a key player in metabolic regulation and appetite control. Often, your body prefers to burn muscle tissue, so triggering the release of body fat while boosting metabolic rate is among the best ways to target stored fat while sparing hard-earned muscle tissue.

* Reduce your appetite: Pick glucomannan

One of the reasons that diets fail is that dieters often cut calories too drastically. This not only encourages your body to drop water and muscle mass, but it also makes you very hungry and feel terrible. Glucomannan comes from the konjac plant, and it’s a soluble fiber that mixes with fluids in your body or those you consume, expanding in your stomach, making you feel full and reducing your appetite as well as the amount of calories you consume. In addition, glucomannan slows the release of food into your system, fueling your body for longer. It also blocks some of the calories from entering your system altogether, carrying them out of your system.

* Release fat from storage: Pick yohimbine

The bottom line is that fat has to come out of storage before you can lose it. Yohimbine, the active ingredient from the Pausinystalia yohimbe tree, is a potent fat-mobilizer. Yohimbine gets fat to march out of storage cells by inhibiting the ability of alpha-2-receptors on fat cells, which act as gatekeepers that only allow the release of small amounts. By putting these gatekeepers to sleep, yohimbine encourages fat to flow more freely into your system where it can be used to fuel activity.  In addition, yohimbine allows sympathetic nerves to release more norepinephrine to increase fat burning.

* Increase brain chemicals: Pick Mucuna pruriens

Diets are challenging, and your brain needs to be at its best. One of the ways to boost brain power while dieting it so take Mucuna pruriens, a tropical legume that’s also known as cowhage or velvet bean. It boosts dopamine, a key brain chemical that promotes a sense of satisfaction and pleasure. Dieting causes a reduction in both, obviously, so taking Mucuna pruriens helps you succeed on your diets because it reduces cravings. In addition, this supplement also boosts the release of growth hormone, helping you keep or add muscle mass while losing body fat.

MAX STACK

Rush Hour

Choose these supplements for a fast way to improve workouts.

Getting the supplemental support you need before you hit the gym is often the difference between a run-of-the-mill workout and one that exceeds your wildest expectations. You may be taking some of these, but consider stacking them all.

* Taurine

One of the keys to superlative workouts is the ability to endure, and taurine, an amino acid, helps boost muscular endurance. Taking supplemental taurine helps keep levels high in your muscle fibers while training. Under normal conditions, without supplementation, taurine levels and strength decrease during workouts. Research shows that taking taurine before workouts boosts endurance up to 50% and reduces oxidative stress.

* Arginine

Arginine is an amino acid that, when taken before workouts, provides multiple benefits. They include boosting growth hormone, increasing insulin release and upping mTOR, a molecular marker for anabolism. Increasing levels of all these will not only improve today’s workout, but it leads to increased strength and muscle building over the long term.

* Electrolytes

These particles help you charge through your workouts. While they’re often used more commonly by endurance athletes, getting in calcium, potassium and sodium also help weight-training athletes who lose large amounts of fluids and electrolytes during workouts. Making sure you’re hydrated and charged helps ensure a great workout.

* Tyrosine

This amino acid is crucial for supporting your brain when you’re training. Tyrosine supports the production of crucial neurotransmitters, including dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. The latter two help fuel your body by breaking down body fat so you can use it as fuel. Research has shown that elevated epinephrine levels during workouts reduce fatigue and boosts muscle strength.

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BRAIN BOOSTERS

Huperzine: Think About It

Huperzine A, an extract from the Huperzia serrata plant, helps improve focus and enhances memory. It’s the Kodak, the misty water-coloured supplements. It’s also known as firmoss or Chinese club moss.

While research on huperzine supplementation has been promising with Alzheimer’s patients, a heavily studied group, it’s also proved beneficial with youngsters. A study in China showed that it boosted memory and learning performance in teenagers. It’s not a stretch to conclude that if it’s good for young and old, it’s probably beneficial for those in between.

Huperzine appears to protect the brain by scavenging free radicals, helping to prevent decline in cognition as we age. It does so by inhibiting an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, a brain chemical that transmits signals.

References:

Sun, Q. Q., et al. Huperzine-A capsules enhance memory and learning performance in 34 pairs of matched adolescent students. Zhongguo Yao Li Xue Bao. 1999 Jul;20(7):601-3.

Li J, Huperzine A for Alzheimer’s disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Apr 16;(2):CD005592

STUDY UP

Betaine Boosts Bigness

Recent research furthers the claims of betaine, also known as trimethylglycine. This supplement is known for boosting strength, power and muscle mass. And a recent study performed by researchers at the College of Springfield in Massachusetts, showed dramatic gains for those who followed a weight-training protocol and supplemented with betaine for six weeks. This included adding 4 pounds of muscle mass, increasing biceps size by 10 percent, and reducing body fat levels by 7 pounds.

Betaine works its magic by enhancing muscle protein synthesis, which may happen because of its ability to function as a methyl donor. This helps increase methionine production, important for boosting protein synthesis. For best results, supplement betaine before and after workouts, getting in 2.5 to 6 grams per day, split over two doses  per dose, for a total of up to 4 grams per day.

And if, you’re really interested in studying up on all aspects of betaine, you should know that the word is pronounced “BEET-uh-een” not “BEE-tane.” This makes sense when you also know how to pronounce GLOOT-uh-meen” correctly. Now that you’ve studied up, you can school those who are less informed.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betaine

Cholewa, J. M., et al. Effects of betaine on body composition, performance, and homocysteine thiolactone. Journal of The International Society of Sports Nutrition 10:39, 2013.

WHAT ELSE DOES IT DO?

Folic Acid Boosts…

Folate — vitamin B9 or folic acid, among other AKAs — is the natural form of this vitamin that’s found in food. Folic acid is the synthetic form found in supplements. Either way, when you take in this B vitamin, it converts to L-methylfolate, a compound that encourages growth. Pregnant women often supplement this prenatal booster because it encourages the production of new cells, and it helps your body produce RNA and DNA.

But research also shows that folic acid is also beneficial for supporting muscle growth. It helps do this by replacing damaged cells with new ones. These “satellite cells” grow larger and stronger than the ones they replace. Folic acid also encourages muscle protein synthesis through DNA signalling. To get the most from folic acid, take 400 mcg once a day.

FIGHTING FAT

Phenylalanine

This essential amino acid is a precursor to tyrosine. Like this brain-boosting amino, phenylalanine supports the production of adrenaline and noradrenaline (otherwise known as epinephrine and norepinephrine—but who says they’re an epinephrine junkie?). Either way, this amino acid encourages production of these energizing chemicals that help support fat loss.

In the body, phenylalanine also converts to phenylethylamine (PEA). PEA acts on the nervous system, increasing alertness, producing euphoria, reducing hunger, and boosting calorie reduction. PEA, like its precursor, also encourages the release of these important brain chemicals. The bottom line is that phenylalanine supports fat burning in multiple ways.