Weight Management

"Lose Weight Safely & effectively"

Body composition

Protein intake, in conjunction with exercise can have a positive effect on body composition. Weight loss is often associated with not only fat loss but also loss of lean muscle mass.

Preventing the loss of lean muscle mass, through adequate protein intake may assist in encouraging a more healthy body composition.

Lean muscle mass also utilizes fatty acids for energy, enabling the body to burn more fat more efficiently. Diets with reduced carbohydrates and higher protein (1.5g/kg/day) may stabilize blood glucose and increase the body lean/fat ratio. (1)

Studies have shown that consuming diets with more protein and less carbohydrate resulted in losing more total weight and fat mass but losing less lean muscle mass.(2)

Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) is a derivative of the amino acid leucine. HMB has been shown to increase lean muscle mass and improve percentage body fat loss during an exercise regime. (3)

HMB has also been found to improve cholesterol profile, with a reduction in serum cholesterol and LDL levels. (4)

Fat Metabolism

Fat is the body’s main energy store, and an inefficient process of fat metabolism and the utilization of fats for energy may contribute to weight issues.

Green tea and Bitter orange are two herbs, which are known to support sympathetic nervous system activity. Norepinephrine and epinephrine can activate receptors involved in the mobilization and oxidation of fatty acids. Human studies report reduced body weight and body fat, as well as increased fat oxidation and thermogenesis and thereby confirm findings in cell culture systems and animal models of obesity.(10)

Iodine is an important nutrient for thyroid hormone production.(11)

Thyroid hormones can stimulate the mobilization of fat stores, and have an impact on basal metabolic rate. (8)

Carnitine, vitamin B2 and vitamin B3 are essential for beta oxidation of fatty acids in the mitochondria and therefore the efficient utilization of fats for energy. Carnitine is required to transport the fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane.

Carnitine deficiency has been shown to be associated with inefficient fat oxidation. (12)

Thermogenesis

Thermogenesis occurs in the mitochondria of brown fat cells.

It results in the expenditure of energy for the generation of heat and has been considered to contribute to weight loss via an increase in energy expenditure. Defective thermogenesis may be associated with a tendency to gain weight. Uncoupling proteins can uncouple ATP production from mitochondrial respiration, dissipating energy as heat.(5)

Green Tea may help to stimulate thermogenesis in brown fat. This effect is not only attributed to the caffeine content of green tea but also to EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate). Studies have shown that EGCG alone may stimulate thermogenesis and increase fat oxidation contributing to the anti-obesity effects of green tea.(6)

Calcium may play a role in the regulation of energy metabolism, attenuating adipocyte lipid accretion and weight gain during the overconsumption of an energy-dense diet. Calcium may also help to up regulate uncoupling proteins associated with increasing thermogenesis. (7)

Forskolin, an active constituent of Coleus has been shown to stimulate the production and release of thyroid hormones.

Thyroid hormones are involved in the stimulation of thermogenesis (8) as well as other aspects of fat metabolism.

Coleus may therefore have a beneficial effect on increasing basal metabolic rate. Forskolin has been shown to have a beneficial effect on body composition, increasing lean body mass and decreasing fat mass.(9)

Inhibition of fatty acid synthesis

Hydroxycitric acid has been shown to inhibit the synthesis of fatty acids in the body, by inhibiting the enzyme citrate lyase. Over production of fatty acids endogenously has been associated with high carbohydrate diets and may lead to increased fat stores. (13)

In conjunction with diet and exercise recommendations, a combination of nutrients and herbs that support optimal fat metabolism and body composition may provide additional advantage to weight management programs.

Allergies and Weight Loss

Ask our naturopath how hidden allergies could be affecting that hard to shift weight.

Source www.bioconcepts.com.au