Savvy Fat Burning Food : Fat Burning Entries : May 2006
May 19, 2006 22:46 - Should business fund weight loss treatments ?
I was just reading a very interesting article on the cost of obesity for businesses.
According to this article, obese employees could cost a large company up to $1.4 billion or more per year in health services and extra support. With those kinds of figures, it is little wander that businesses are starting to think about helping to ease the obesity epidemic.
To have your say, fill out the anonymous poll below:
May 20, 2006 23:39 - Grapefruit And Weight Loss
Recently in the fat burning quiz, I've asked visitors about whether they thought that grapefruit juice can burn fat ? I recently took a look at a snapshot of the results and this is what I got.
If you've done the quiz yourself, you'll know that I've referred to it as a myth because the use of the grapefruit diet also included caffeine which is known to increase your metabolic rate and therefore how many calories you can burn. However, I thought that I'd take a new look at this issue when I saw some recently published research on grapefruit and weight loss.
As a bit of background, the original grapefruit diet, I believe, consisted of restricting your diet to 800 calories per day. The diet recommended eating half a grapefruit before every meal and consuming large quantities of caffeinated drinks.
While clearly this is not a healthy way to lose weight, and would be against the better judgment of most people, some people have sworn by the "fat burning" effects of grapefruit.
While evidence in the past has been almost non-existent aside from one pilot study in 2004 - more recent research has been published into grapefruit and some of it's active compounds - particularly in association with caffeine consumption.
Researchers had previously thought that a compound found in grapefruit called Naringin (responsible for grapefruit's bitter taste) could extend the half-life of caffeine within the body and therefore extend caffeine's metabolism increasing effects. However research carried out at the South Dakota Health Promotion and Research Program and published in the Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology April 2006 edition, found that another compound (not yet known) found in grapefruit either working in combination with naringin or alone is responsible for this effect.[1]
A pilot study was conducted in 2004 into grapefruit's apparent weight loss properties. This study was funded by the Florida Citrus Industry body and found that 100 men and women lost between 3.3 and 3.6 pounds over three months. The study also claims that some lost 10 pounds. I have not viewed the actual study, however, in their press release, no mention was made of a control group which is essential in making sure that these participants would not have lost the weight anyway. The press release makes no mention of the study being published in a medical journal.
No firm conclusions can be made based upon a pilot study - despite the media flurry about grapefruit juice not being a myth after all.
More recently though, research published in an alternative therapy journal called Journal of Medicinal Food took 91 obese subjects and gave them either of the following, three times per day before each meal:
- 207 ml of apple juice
- grapefruit capsules with 7 ounces (207 mL) of apple juice
- 8 ounces (237 mL) of grapefruit juice with placebo capsule
- half of a fresh grapefruit with a placebo capsule
Subjects were monitored for metabolic syndrome markers over 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, researchers observed the following:
- the apple juice group lost 0.3kg
- the fresh grapefruit group had lost 1.6 kg
- the grapefruit juice group had lost 1.5 kg
- the grapefruit capsule group had lost 1.1 kg
Researchers also observed that insulin levels were reduced and that insulin resistance was improved in the fresh grapefruit group. The researchers however admit that the mechanism by which this is happening is still a mystery. Despite the fact that they don't know how it works, they recommend including grapefruit in a weight loss strategy.[2]
I happen to disagree though. The thing is a lot of people who are overweight, and especially those who are clinically obese need to take medications such as cholesterol lowering drugs. Just as grapefruit juice interferes with the way caffeine affects your body, it also interferes with the way in which your body absorbs certain other drugs and can even inadvertently cause a higher dosage than was intended, leading to adverse side effects. It has been widely documented, but not everyone will be aware of this.
My problem is that those who are unaware of this, think that it is a food and totally safe will consume a lot of it while also taking prescribed drugs that it interferes with and may be causing themselves harm.
A lot of people need to lose weight and wouldn't it be great if we could just eat grapefruit and it would do it for us. Seriously, if I wanted to lose weight and keep it off with the grapefruit diet, I'd have to eat half a grapefruit before each meal and drink a lot of coffee for the rest of my life ? No thanks. I'd rather eat a variety of foods, eat grapefruit sometimes because it's a healthy fruit to eat and keep fit with regular exercise. Really it just comes back to re-adjusting unhealthy lifestyle habits and working on the things about your lifestyle that is causing you to be overweight.
Even though the research I've talked about give favorable findings to those who want to lose weight, I'd still opt for a well-balanced diet rather than relying on eating one particular food to lose weight. If you think you'd like to try the grapefruit diet but you also take prescribed drugs, make sure that you talk it over with your doctor or health care professional first.
[1] Tasha LP Ballard*, Fathi T Halaweish, Cheryl L Stevermer*, Puja Agrawal and Matthew D Vukovich* Naringin does not alter caffeine pharmacokinetics, energy expenditure, or cardiovascular haemodynamics in humans following caffeine consumption. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2006 Apr;33(4):310-4. Abstract
[2] Fujioka K, Greenway F, Sheard J, Ying Y. The effects of grapefruit on weight and insulin resistance: relationship to the metabolic syndrome. J Med Food. 2006 Spring;9(1):49-54. Abstract
May 23, 2006 21:14 - The Body Fat You Need
"No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain, you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office."
- George Bernard Shaw
The thing is that no one likes fat. Just today, I was telling someone that I still had fat around my tummy region that I wanted to lose. Now it's not going to kill me to lose that fat there, but realistically speaking the reason I want to lose it is for purely aesthetic reasons. It's true, I'm not afraid to admit it. I do want to lose the inches around my tummy to get back to the shape I was before I had my son.
I guess the problem is when people go too far and try to lose too much body fat.
When thinking in terms of body fatness and the overall composition of our bodies, it's useful to realize that there is just some body fat that you weren't meant to lose.
Our bodies have fat for storage which is used for fuel, but also have essential fat used for cushioning of the major organs, (as in the quote above, two thirds of our brains is made of fat) and fat is used in bone marrow, nerve tissue and other various organs.
It's also interesting to note that 12% of a healthy woman's body is made up of this essential fat, while only 3% of a healthy man's body accounts for essential fat. A bit of a difference.[1]
The difference may be explained by the hormonal differences between men and women.
So us women need a lot more fat than the men do, and realistically speaking shouldn't be thinking about getting our fat levels down to the same levels that men can.
Healthy body fat levels for women range between 20 - 27%.[2] Medicinenet puts this figure at 25 - 30%.[3] That might shock some people who have been trying to get it below this level. But trying to get a barbie-doll figure will come at a cost. Women who train regularly and maintain low levels of body fat have either lost their menstruation altogether or experienced irregularities.[1]
Healthy body fat levels for men though can range from 18 to 23% - quite a bit less.
So essentially, when women diet and exercise, they're using the storage fat as fuel or energy to power their bodies. But if they try to reduce their body fat below 12% - then that is the time to think about maintaining and not losing.
[1] McArdle, Katch, Katch (1985) Exercise Physiology Energy Nutrition and Human Performance. Lea & Febiger. p. 508.
[2] Sportsdoctor on Body Fat
[3] Medicinenet Bodyfat the Silent Killer
May 24, 2006 21:48 - Weight loss supplement CLA studies still giving conflicting results
Years ago, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) was labelled a hopeful in the search for an effective weight loss supplement. If you don't already know, CLA is a fatty compound which can be found in small amounts in beef, milk and other dairy products. For a background on the research on CLA, click here.
While animal studies have found that it can induce fat loss, human studies have been less certain and there have been concerns that the supplement increases markers for cardiovascular disease.
One recent study funded by the Cognis Corporation (A company that manufactures CLA products) and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in the March 2006 edition found that supplementation with CLA over the period of 1 year, did not prevent healthy obese participants from putting on weight.
When researchers put 122 obese but otherwise healthy participants on an energy restricted diet for 8 weeks, 101 of these participants lost 8% of their body weight.
Researchers then assigned these participants to their study of CLA, giving them either of the below in addition to a slightly reduced energy diet:
After the period of 1 year, researchers found that the CLA supplementation had made no difference between the treatment group and the placebo in how much weight the participants had put back on.[1]
So this recent study completed with over 100 obese participants over the period of a year, found that CLA was not able to help maintain long term weight loss.
Another study however, also funded in part by the Cognis Corporation found that 180 men and women who were either given:
- 4.5 g of olive oil (placebo)
- 4.5 g 80% CLA-FFA (conjugated linoleic acid free fatty acid)
- 4.5 g 76% CLA-triacylglycerol
Researchers found that over the 12 months, those in the olive oil group had lost no fat, however participants in the two other CLA groups had. The results of this study support the theory that CLA supplements can decrease body fat mass while also increasing lean body mass.[2]
So given these two very similar studies it's hard to know what to believe about the effectiveness of CLA in weight loss.
One difference between the two studies that might make a difference, is the difference is dosage. The study that found that CLA helped with fat loss administered to it's participants a higher dose - so that could be just one reason for the differing results.
[1] Thomas Meinert Larsen, Søren Toubro, Ola Gudmundsen and Arne Astrup Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y does not prevent weight or body fat regain American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 83, No. 3, 606-612, March 2006 Abstract
[2] Jean-Michel Gaullier, Johan Halse, Kjetil Høye, Knut Kristiansen, Hans Fagertun, Hogne Vik and Ola Gudmundsen Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y reduces body fat mass in healthy overweight humans American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 79, No. 6, 1118-1125, June 2004 Full Text
May 25, 2006 23:20 - Cardio Exercise Machines - Common Cardio Workout Mistakes
Cardio exercise machine workouts are great and fun for burning
excess body fat and building good cardiovascular health. These
exercises not only help to burn body fat fast it will also
strengthen your heart and lungs and thus reducing your chances
of getting high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.
Regular cardio exercise can also reduce bad cholesterol and
raise the level of good cholesterol.
However, are you getting the most out of your cardio machine
workouts? Are you using the cardio workout machines efficiently
to gain maximum benefit from the exercise?
Well, you probably aren't if you are an average gym user
without a personal trainer to guide you because you will
probably commit common cardio machine mistakes when exercising.
I thought that I'd go through the more popular cardio workout machines
and the common mistakes people commit when using these machines
for their workouts.
Common mistakes when using cardio workout machines are :-
Step up stair climber - This is perhaps the most common
mistake for not getting the most out of the step up stair
climber machine. Almost invariably, everyone when exercising
with this machine will rest their arms on the railing. By doing
so, the railing now becomes sort of like a crutch as it will now
support some of your body weight making the exercise less
intensive.
Treadmill - The treadmill is perhaps the most popular cardio
workout machine in the gym. A careful observation will show
that many treadmill users run with too much up and downs. This
mistake will wear out the person’s ankle and knee joints over
time. The correct method is to take long, smooth and purposeful
strides during the exercise.
Stationery Bike - When exercising on the stationery bike, do
adjust the height of the seat to a comfortable level. I really
don’t understand why many stationery bike users adjust their
seats to be either too high or too low. I mean, why be
uncomfortable when exercising when you can be comfortable.
When the seat is too low, it adds strain to your knees and
spine. When too high, your butt will rock from side to
side. So besides not getting the best from your cardio workout
on the stationery bike, because your body weight will be
involved when you peddle, you will also look weird. It is such
a silly workout mistake - right?
Elliptical Trainer - This is also another bewildering common
cardio workout mistake. You use the elliptical trainer to tone
your body and to exercise for your cardiovascular fitness
right? Then why is it I often see people who use the elliptical
trainer exercising at a high speed? So what is the mistake? The
mistake is that they have set the resistance level too low.
You see, if you do not puff, pant and breakout in sweat, you
are not getting the best out of your cardio exercises. Is it
any wonder then that people are not losing weight and not
improving on their cardiovascular health even when they are
doing their cardio exercises regularly?
Now that you know how to avoid these common cardio machine
exercise workout mistakes, you can now head for the gym and get
the best out of these exercises. In a very short time, you will
see your body toning up nicely, improvement on your cardio
health being felt and visibly losing excess body fat.
About The Author: Chris Chew fitness personal trainer of
actors, male pageant winners, models and celebrities. More of
his free articles at http://www.sgfitness.com
May 26, 2006 23:12 - Ingredients Used In Popular Fat Burners
The thing that I'd like to know about fat burners is if they were really that effective, why do we still have an obesity problem ?
If they were effective, everyone would be taking them, and they would keep the weight off for good and it would be such a simple solution that it would be considered the same as a headache - take some paracetamol. But the thing is it's not.
Now, I understand that the use of fat burners can be beneficial. It's true that they can be. But only under the right circumstances and under the supervision of a doctor. Why, because although the ingredients might be natural, they can still interact with other drugs you might be taking and because the fat burner is "natural" it might not occur to the person that the fat burner could cause other health problems.
For example, Inositol - a compound found in some popular fat burners. This is a compound that can be readily found in food (e.g. nuts and wheat),
and is part of the B-vitamin complex. It is usually used to treat conditions of depression and similar disorders. This compound could also interact with other drugs being taken at the same time. So if you're taking a supplement with inositol as well as prescription drugs, make sure you tell your
doctor!
Some other herbal ingredients such as uva ursi, buchu, doggrass, hydrangea and juniper have also been included in fat burners. The International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) database holds no information concerning these herbal ingredients and fat burners or weight loss supplements. That's not to say that they're not beneficial for weight loss, it just means there is nothing proven.
When it comes down to it, why spend your money on something that has not been proven. Why not put effort into changing your lifestyle, eating and exercise little by little for maximum long term weight loss and improvement in your overall health.
May 29, 2006 22:58 - Herbal Fat Burners
Flaxseed oil. This is included in some fat burners as there is some research to support the theory that the omega-3's in the oil may help to increase the amount of calories burned. More research needs to be done in this area to confirm whether it does or not. As getting omega-3's in our diet have next to no side effects and many health benefits - consuming flaxseed oil could not hurt, but just watch out for the extra calories that flaxseed oil has.
Coleus Forskohlii Extract and forskolin. This is an Indian Ayurvedic herb. The Coleus Forskohlii is the source of the forskolin. From my initial research I've found that there is not much research on this herb, but what I did find was that this extract may be able to reduce body weight, food intake and fat accumulation, but may also interact with other drugs or herbs.
Synephrine and Willow Bark. These two are used fairly commonly in fat burners. Synephrine is the active compound in the now famously patented Advantra Z bitter orange extract. Willow Bark is a natural herb used as a natural pain reliever and is closely related to aspirin. Put together these act as a mild stimulant. Depending on what kind of synephrine is included in the supplement you're talking about, it may or may not have effects on heart rate and blood pressure. You can see an article I wrote a couple of years ago about bitter orange here.
Cayenne Pepper. An ingredient in Cayenne pepper, called capsaicin is reported to increase metabolism of fats. One study apparently found that when japanese women and white men ate 10 grams of cayenne pepper - their appetites were reported as moderately reduced. From my past reading Capsaicin can have a mild effect on your metabolism, but you'd probably need to eat a whole lot of it, to lose any significant amount of weight.
If you are allergic to salicilytes (found in many citrus fruits), or if you are taking any other prescription medication do not take a supplement containing either willow bark or forskolin until you've cleared it with your doctor.
May 30, 2006 13:40 - How to use the treadmill to burn fat
I was at the gym today and very kindly one of the personal trainers came up to give me a few pointers.
I was doing a fast walk on the treadmill already and she asked me if I wanted to know the best way to use the treadmill to burn fat. I had such a good workout using this technique that I thought that I'd pass it on to you.
She said if you jog on the treadmill continuously, eventually you get tired, your lungs are unable to fill up with oxygen and you have to stop probably earlier than you would have if you used this technique.
After warming up on the treadmill, set the speed to a brisk jog (depending on the machine) and jog for 1 minute. Then reduce the speed to a walk again and have a rest, take a drink of water etc., then after 2 minutes, increase the speed again for 1 minute. Do this for 10 minutes or however long you feel comfortable and you'll find that you'll get a workout that lasted longer than if you had jogged on the treadmill continuously.
May 30, 2006 23:16 - Detox Diets Not All They're Cracked Up To Be
I was just reading an interesting article that pointed out that detox diets will indeed cause weight loss, but only because of the restriction of calories. In some cases an individual on a detox diet may go from eating 2,500 calories to just 1000 calories.
The effect of this is to decrease your metabolic rate and while you may lose weight, you'll also lose muscle mass. Some experts also feel that detox diets could also affect thyroid function, causing future weight gain.
The article suggests that changing one bad eating habit at a time for the long term, is a more permanent way of losing weight. After all, what happens after you come off the detox diet?
Source:
Network Magazine. Detoxing for Weight Loss: Does It Work ?
May 31, 2006 21:25 - Diabetes Drug Prescribed For Weight Loss
A new drug designed to be given to diabetics to help their bodies use insulin, called "Byetta" has been noted to be associated with weight loss.
Byetta is derived from the saliva of a reptile called the Gila Monster, and has only been approved by the FDA for use with type II diabetics, not those just with obesity.Those who have been prescribed the drug, which must be administered through injection only, have reported that they had very limited appetite. Because of the drug's apparent appetite suppressant properties, reports are now surfacing that Byetta may be being prescribed as a diet drug.
Unfortunately, though, there is no scientific evidence that Byetta is safe or even effective for patients to use who do not have type 2 diabetes. As well as this, Byetta can have some other rather unwelcome side effects, such as nausea and occasional vomiting.
