Too many Fat Burners on the market contain unproven, unsafe or just downright ineffective ingredients.
Effective fat burners are great supplements to use to cut weight and to get down to that toned physique that we’re all after. However, due to their success over the years, many companies have used their increasing sales as an opportunity to make money rather than help lifters.
This is giving a bad reputation to the industry – and it ends now.
Fat Burners can make all the difference when coupled with correct diet and exercise. They help the body by enhancing numerous processes which all strive towards the efforts of losing weight.
Fat Burners can benefit us in a number of ways:
- Lose Stubborn Fat – Cut down those last few pounds that you’re struggling with
- Boost Energy – Keep workout intensity up throughout a low calorie diet
- Stop Cravings – Minimize hunger pangs and temptations to cheat
These are the main three functions a fat burner provides:
- Thermogenesis – This is a key process where fat burning ingredients increase the core temperature of the body. Raising the heat, forces our body to regulate its body temperature and cool itself. The cooling process uses up more calories than the body uses normally, this helps the body continually burn more fat the usual – Even when resting.
- Increases Metabolism – This comes from the stimulants in a fat burner, although other ingredients have also been to do the same. The increase in energy is useful along side a low calorie diet as one of the common problems on a cutting phase is fatigue. With boosted energy levels, workouts can continue as normal, helping to maintain your lifts and lose as little muscle as possible.
- Suppress Appetite – Usually only found in premium fat burners. Appetite suppression is a useful tool when on a cut. Using fibrous nutrients that swell up the stomach, fat burners can make you feel fuller and crave less foods with high carbohydrates.
What Ingredients should you be looking for?
In a safe and effective fat burner, you want all natural and proven ingredients that will lower your weight without risking your health.
We’ve done our research to produce the list of current best fat burning ingredients in the industry.
These ingredients have been checked to ensure they’re:
- Effective and Proven
- Safe
- 100% Natural
The Best Fat Burning Ingredients
Green Tea (Thermogenic and Boosts Metabolism)
Without a doubt the best fat burning ingredient on the market. We all know green tea for its anti-oxidant and stimulative properties. The anti-oxidants helps protect the body while the caffeine in the herb boosts metabolism.
However, it also has an incredible thermogenic abilities. The catechins which make up green tea lift the amount of norepinephrine in the body. Norepinephrine is the body’s natural fat burning hormone, this gives us a strong thermogenic boost and starts burning weight as soon as it is absorbed.
In this 90 day study, Green Tea was seen to create an average of 1.2kg weight loss in subjects and also reduce the size of their waistlines.
This study however looks into the power of one cup of green tea. It showed that one mug of the green stuff burns approximately 5.7g of fat per serving!
Green Coffee Bean (Thermogenic)
The decaffeinated version of the roasted coffee we’re accustomed to. Green Coffee Bean makes all the difference when it comes to thermogenesis.
The Chlorogenic acid that makes up part of the coffee is the component that makes all the difference. Inhibiting the enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase, the green coffee cuts down the formation of glucose in the liver. As the body uses this for energy, it must look to a difference source to get it – and so it starts burning fat cells to match keep our energy levels up.
In this study using green coffee with overweight subjects. The participants were split into two groups, one using green coffee and the other using regular instant coffee over a 12 week weight-loss program. Thanks to the chlorogenic acid the green coffee group lost 5.4kg at the end of the 12 weeks, whereas the instant coffee group lost 1.7kg.
This is more a general scientific study that backs the evidence that chlorogenic acid lowers the amount of glucose in the liver.
Caffeine (Energy and Metabolism)
As we all know, caffeine is a pretty rocking stimulant and is great at upping energy levels. Working by suppressing the amount adenosine in the brain (which promotes sleep) caffeine naturally increases wakefulness and continues to keep us on the go.
However, not many people realize that this boost in energy actually increases metabolism and power output in the body. This helps the body process foods quicker and burns calories at a much faster rate. Any fat burner worth it’s salt would be wise to keep caffeine in its mix.
In this study, caffeine was shown to dramatically increase the power output in sprinters and improve their results when exercising.
In regards to fat burning, this study shows that increased supplementation of caffeine can raise metabolism and also releases plasma glycerol (which is indicative of the fat burning process).
Cayenne Pepper (Very Thermogenic)
Nothing quite gives the body increased heat like a hot pepper. Supplementation of cayenne pepper in fat burners is a very smart move. It raises the body’s temperature almost instantly after being absorbed, this is due the capsicum which is the source of its ‘hot’ feeling. This starts the thermogenic process right away with the body increasing its energy requirements to cool itself after ingesting the chili.
This is the main study that surrounds the use of capsicum. As it was injected into the body, it was shown to increase thermogenesis, and therefore help with the fat burning process.
Glucomannan (Appetite Suppressant)
This fibrous root is one of the key weapons in your battle against temptation. From the Konjac plant, glucomannan swells up in the stomach after being ingested. This makes you feel more full, allowing you to stay on track with your diet and make more progress on your cut.
This study, taken over an 8 week period, involved the supplementation of glucomannan in obese patients. The participants were told to make no alterations in their diet or exercise regime. Across the board each subject in this clinical study lost a significant amount of weight, and even saw dips in their cholesterol levels.
Yohimbine (Appetite Suppression)
This unassuming tree bark is actually an appetite suppressing powerhouse. Working through its ability to inhibit alpha-subunits in the adrenergic receptor system, fat metabolism is rapidly suppressed. It also leads to an increase in beta-subunits which are known for their use in stimulating fat loss.
However, its not all good. Too much Yohimbine has been seen to cause side effects such as gatrointestinal distress, hypertension and in some cases anxiety. As a rule of thumb, the safe amount of Yohimbine to supplement per day is aimed at 0.2mg/kg of body weight. Always check the amount in your fat burner before you buy it to see if it’s right for you.
This study essentially backs up the above benefits of how yohimbine works with humans and the alpha-subunits in the body.
Whereas this study shows the fat loss benefits of yohimbine. Supplementing the root in elite soccer athletes, yohimbine was seen to help with body composition and a good weight loss strategy for competitive athletes.
Vitamin B12 (Metabolic Booster)
This vitamin is constantly associated with energy production. Breaking down fats and proteins, B12 brings the two together to produce a metabolic reaction, which not only increases metabolism but also creates more available energy for the body to use.
This study shows the importance of B12 in physical performance, and those who were deficient in the vitamin performed poorly compared to the ones without.
Vitamin B6 (Metabolic Booster)
Usually found in almonds, this vitamin is important to raising metabolism and energy levels. Using a process called gluconeogenesis, B6 converts the body’s stores of glycogen into glucose. This gives the body more glucose to use for energy, and also stops the need for more carbohydrates to turn into energy – all while raising the metabolic rate in the process.
This study shows a blend that was primarily made of out B6 helping with obesity. At the end of the study, the B6 was seen to increase fat oxidation, burning more energy and lowering the weight of subjects.
Zinc (Metabolic Booster)
This essential mineral is one of the key factors in weight loss. Linked to boosting testosterone levels, it has also been seen that low levels of zinc in the body can lead to lower metabolic rates and therefore higher fat gains. It has seen to be effective in the processing of carbs, fats and proteins.
It is incredibly useful in any fat burner, particularly with those who do not have a lot of zinc in their diet already (for example, those on a cut avoiding red meats).
This study shows that supplementing zinc in sedentary men helps maintain testosterone levels despite their lack of exercise of the 4 week time period of the study.
Whereas this study shows that the supplementing of zinc in overweight patients, not only showed to help decrease their fat mass but also increased their mood.
Conclusion
If you are considering a fat burner, make sure you have these ingredients in mind. It doesn’t have to contain all of them, but it would certainly help.
The ones that we believe are a must have in any of these supplements are definitely:
- Green Tea
- Green Coffee Bean Extract
- Glucomannan
- Caffeine
- Cayenne Pepper
This at least keeps the main three bases covered for what you need in an effective fat burner.