Cliff Harvey of FITNET writes: With most of the best thermogenic, fat loss and stimulatory products now banned in New Zealand and Australia, what can we expect to take their place? Is there anything that can take their place?

What is a thermogenic?

Put simply a thermogenic is any product that increases thermogenesis (heat production) in the human body. Heat is a byproduct of metabolism so when more heat is being produced this means that more calories are being used. This is in isolation from activity. Obviously this has had big implications for the fitness industry because if you are using more calories for no greater input of activity the result should be greater fat loss. Added to this is the fact that most thermogenic compounds are very stimulatory giving greater energy and decreased rates of perceived exertion and also have nutrient partitioning effects (greater utilization of fat over other fuels). The impact thermos have had on the industry is profound at it’s easy to see why.

There has always been a running battle between the supplement formulators and regulatory bodies and it seems that there are always compounds being banned only for others to take their place.

The Good

These are still legal in New Zealand and Australia.

Synephrine: A chemical cousin of ephedrine, less stimulatory and generally less potent.

Octopamine: Extracted from the same source (citrus aurantium – Seville sour orange) as Synephrine, Octopamine is an effective aid to fat loss as a Beta 3 agonist which could prove helpful for losing stubborn bodyfat without a concurrent stimulatory effecti.

Caffeine

This is an underrated supplement.It is thought that caffeine causes fatty oxidation to be increased thereby sparing glycogenii iii although this is not thought to be the only action.

Aspirin

This was always thought to inhibit down regulation of the effects of caffeine and ephedrine, and therefore incorporated in most formulas either as a pharmaceutical grade compound or from White Willow bark which contains naturally occurring Salicin (aspirin). It may be effective at inhibiting long term down regulation but does not potentiate the effects of either caffeine, synephrine or ephedrine in the short termiv

Green Tea Extracts

These things kick ass! Probably one of the more efficient and eloquent fat loss and focus enhancers left available. Green tea has been shown to be a very effective thermogenic both because of the action of caffeine and the interaction between this and catechin-polyphenols which have different but profound actions of increasing thermogenesisv.

[It must be noted that caffeine, ephedrine, synephrine, like most stimulants, also provide an appetite suppressing effect, which may or may not be a good thing for your situation!]

The Banned

Ephedrine: The Old King of thermos. Combined with caffeine and aspirin in most formulas. Was proven in this combination to: reduce body fat over 300% over control groups in the absence of caloric restriction and has been proven safe at fairly high doses and with prolonged, consistent usevi and even in adolescent populationsvii

Why was it banned?

Scare mongering by pharmaceutical companies which was picked up by the medical community and the mainstream media. There have been fanciful tales of deaths caused by ephedrine, all of which on closer examination look dubious. In New Zealand one of the reasons I have been told by a source (name withheld) in the Health Department was that the potential for making Methamphetamine (speed) was too great.

7 Keto DHEA: Only recently banned (restricted) in New Zealand was one of a host of compounds taking the place of ephedrine in the US. This and it’s variations look promising in studies, alas it won’t be available here any more. Medline search failed to show results (let me know if anyone has studies on 7 Keto!)

The Ugly

Thyroxine: Thyroxine is synthetic T4 – a thyroid hormone. A very effective compound for fat loss, won’t do much for energy levels. There is the potential to permanently affect thyroid function and as thyroid is the master gland of your metabolism this would not be a good thing. Too dangerous in my opinion to use, no performance benefit and if you need to lose fat watch what you’re putting in your gob!

Dinitrophenol:

DNP is an industrial insecticide that body builders started using in the 90’s to get ripped. HOWEVER if you use this stuff you’re an IDIOT! A small overdose can leave you in a state of full body heat shock. People have suffered permanent kidney damage, hearing loss, brain damage and muscle destruction when using this. It also has a long excretion time from the body so can build up to OD levels. I’m not going to comment on it’s efficacy or path of action because it just plain sucks!

Where to now?

For performance benefits I would suggest sticking with caffeine as a stimulant but be careful to not exceed allowable levels if you are subject to drug testing. Neurotransmitter formulas may prove VERY effective and would provide focus and decreased RPE without a stimulatory action and I theorise that in conjunction with certain adaptogenic compounds and caffeine with tyrosine would kick ass (watch this space ! )

If you are needing to lose bodyfat……sort your diet out! Once you have sorted that out with the help of a good consultant you could look at one of the synephrine and caffeine, green tea formulas to speed things up. Also drink tea frequently, I really can’t see a down side to drinking tea, it’s thermogenic, increases insulin sensitivityviii and is a potent antioxidant! Only use dedicated thermogenic formulas for a set defined goal, don’t just take them in the hope that without changing anything else you’ll develop a lean physique…it just ain’t gonna happen!

References

i Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 1999 Apr;359(4):310-21Selective activation of beta3-adrenoceptors by octopamine: comparative studies in mammalian fat cells.
Carpene C, Galitzky J, Fontana E, Atgie C, Lafontan M, Berlan M.

ii J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 2001 Apr;47(2):139-46Caffeine as a lipolytic food component increases endurance performance in rats and athletes.
Ryu S, Choi SK, Joung SS, Suh H, Cha YS, Lee S, Lim K.

iii J Appl Physiol 1998 Aug;85(2):709-15Effect of caffeinated drinks on substrate metabolism, caffeine excretion, and performance.
Kovacs EM, Stegen JHCH, Brouns F.

iv Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1996 Feb;20(2):91-7Post-prandial thermogenesis with ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin in lean, pre-disposed obese and obese women.
Horton TJ, Geissler CA.
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, King’s College, University of London, Kensington, UK.

v Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000 Feb;24(2):252-8Green tea and thermogenesis: interactions between catechin-polyphenols, caffeine and sympathetic activity.
Dulloo AG, Seydoux J, Girardier L, Chantre P, Vandermander J.

vi Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1993 Feb;17 Suppl 1:S73-8Ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin: safety and efficacy for treatment of human obesity.
Daly PA, Krieger DR, Dulloo AG, Young JB, Landsberg L.
Dept of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

vii Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000 Dec;24(12):1573-8Safety and efficacy of treatment with an ephedrine/caffeine mixture. The first double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study in adolescents.
Molnar D, Torok K, Erhardt E, Jeges S.

viii J Agric Food Chem 2002 Nov 20;50(24):7182-6Tea enhances insulin activity.
Anderson RA, Polansky MM.
Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA