How Does Green Tea and Pyruvates Help in Weight Loss?

Slimming Formulas claim to be a fat burner, which can help dieters increase their metabolism significantly. The active ingredient in many Slimming Formulas is green tea extract, an effective aid to any fat-burning system. However, some Slimming Formula has several other key components that make it a product worth adding to any balanced diet and exercise routine.

How does the Slimming Formula work?

Slimming Formulas work on the principle of increasing thermogenic ingredients in the body to help increase the body's natural fat-burning system. Ingredients such as green tea and caffeine increase the body's natural thermogenic process, which burns fat through heat. Increasing the production of heat in the body requires the consumption of fat cells to fuel the body. This increase in fuel consumption means a lower body fat percentage for dieters.

With green tea as the major ingredient, dieters benefit from not only the higher metabolic rate the extract promotes, but also from glucose regulation after meals. Blood sugar levels naturally rise after meals, but green tea slows this process. According to the article "Green Tea: Can Green Tea Help You Lose Weight?" by Donna Feldman, MS, RD, Feldman addresses the green tea effect on metabolism, by stating, "there's evidence that a chemical found in ordinary green tea, epigallocatechin gallate, may offer a bit of weight loss magic." The epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) works as a catalyst for the thermogenesis process within the body, increasing the calories burned during the process.

Green tea has been incorporated into the diets in Asian countries for thousands of years, but it wasn't until recently that green tea extract has been brought into the forefront of weight loss programs. While green tea is known to help regulate of physical ailments, like reducing cancer ricks in certain patients and stabilizing blood pressure, Green tea is fast becoming one of the premier supplements in diet and weight loss. Why is this?

In one study¹ by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) actually shows that men that were given green tea extract had an increase in metabolism by 4 percent, as compared to those men who were not given the green tea extract. Another study² by the AJCN showed that men given EGCG did in fact lose more weight than men who were not given EGCG.

Additional Ingredients

Some Slimming Formula also includes a variety of other ingredients that promote or support dieting. The slimming formula I use, the BeachBody Slimming Formula, has pyruvate, in the form of sodium pyruvate and potassium pyruvate, which can act as a stimulant for the metabolism, adding to the thermogenesis process. Pyruvates have been found in studies to reduced the storage of fat in the body and convert the food source into calories which are then burned off in the production of heat. In one study³, rats were injected with three fat burners, including pyruvates, and the rats given the pyruvates burned the greatest amount of fat by increasing the rat's resting metabolic rate. With the elevated resting metabolic rate, the body burned more fat in individuals, which makes pyruvate an excellent source for weight maintenance.

BeachBody Slimming Formula also contains calcium, which has been proven to aid in metabolism and fat burning. People who have low calcium in their diets tend to have a higher body fat percentage. Adding calcium to the diet can in fact increase fat burning and rev up metabolism to help weight loss. While diets that include high-fat dairy products can in fact slow fat burning, the exact opposite--a diet that includes dairy products that are low in fat--can indeed decrease the establishment of fat and increase metabolism. An increase in calcium within an individual's diet mean that more calcium is finding its way into the fat cell, increasing the regulation of fat storage and how the fat cells are broken down within the body. Research has shown that mice that were given a restricted diet (low calorie and low fat) and a higher calcium intake experienced a significant decrease in the mice body fat, showing that a calcium rich diet can increase metabolism. The product also has a number of other metabolism-revving ingredients, including cayenne fruit extract and chromium, another mineral that has proven effective in the fight against fat.

While there is little evidence by the FDA to support the findings of such slimming formulas, I can honestly say that I have used BeachBody Slimming Formula for a period of time, and I find it quite effective. Unlike some of the other slimming formulas out there, I don't have the weird side effects, like gastrointestinal issues that have been noticed with other dieting formulas. I actually like taking the supplements, because it not only ends craving, makes me feel fuller, but it gives me more energy.

Despite your choice in weight loss supplements, green tea extract is a great addition to any diet program. Evidence does point to higher metabolism and more fat burning. Ingesting green tea wither by supplement or tea can help your body speed up metabolism and burning more fat.

It is always best to consult a physician before beginning on diet or exercise program.

Citations

Feldman, Donna, MS, RD. (2006) Green Tea: Can Green Tea Help You Lose Weight? The Diet Channel. Retrieved on April 19, 2009 from http://www.thedietchannel.com/Green-Tea-Can-Green-Tea-Help-You-Lose-Weight.htm

¹ Dulloo A. G., Duret C., Rohrer D., Girardier L., Mensi N., Fathi M., Chantre P., Vandermander J. Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1999;70:1040-1045

²Nagao T, Komine Y, Soga S, et al. Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;81:122-9.

³Cortez, M.Y., Torgan, C.E., Brozinick Jr, J.T., Miller, R.H., & Ivy, J.L. (1991). Effect of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone consumption on the growth and metabolic state of obese Zucker rats. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 53, 847-853