If you are researching supplements to help in your weight loss or fat-burning journey, you may have seen thermogenic supplements.
You may not have taken the time to research thermogenic or how they can help you, but these supplements may actually be an excellent option for you.
Aimed at helping with metabolic rates and fat-burning in cells, thermogenic supplements may help you reach your goals or just get past a weight-loss plateau.
Our guide will inform you about thermogenesis and help you decide if a thermogenic supplement is right for you.
What is Thermogenesis?
Thermogenesis is a way that the body raises its temperature through an increase of heat within its tissues. Thermogenic means “to produce heat.”
There are two kinds of thermogenesis that can occur in the body. One form is shivering, which we all experience when our body wants to heat up. The other form of thermogenesis is non-shivering thermogenesis. This process of thermogenesis takes place in fat cells or adipose tissue.
During this process, the stored fat is broken down and used to generate heat in the cells rather than moving to the liver to be converted into ATP energy.
What is a Thermogenic?
A thermogenic refers to a supplement that targets explicitly thermogenic fat cells in the human body and aims to boost thermogenic processes.
Thermogenics aim to improve non-shivering thermogenesis, meaning that it tries to boost the production of heat in specific fat cells.
By enhancing the production of heat in the thermogenic cells, the body can burn more of those fat cells through energy expenditure. At the same time, thermogenic aims to improve the body’s ability to burn fat overall and increase metabolic rates.
Many thermogenic supplements also aim to suppress appetite and help you feel full, which encourages further weight gain and fat burning in cells.
How Do Thermogenic Supplements Work?
To understand how this can help with burning fat, let’s take a look at some of the science behind thermogenesis. The human body has adipocytes, also called adipose. These are the fat cells in the body.
The human body has both white fat cells and thermogenic fat cells. Trends in Genetics tells us that white fat cells are used to store energy and transmit hormones when the body sends signals to the brain about nutrition and hormonal changes.
Thermogenic fat cells are the cells that help keep us warm and help both adults and babies resist hypothermia and help prevent obesity.
During thermogenesis, the body creatures heat in human tissues to raise the body temperature. The production of heat can take place in adipose, or fat, cells and break down the fat stored in those cells.
By breaking down fat in adipose tissue, stored fat is taken and used to create heat. In this way, fat is handled and reduced.
Thermogenic supplements specifically target and boost the production of heat in the fat cells. These supplements target thermogenic fat cells rather than white fat cells or overall fat.
The supplements combine the promotion of fat burning with appetite suppression to improve metabolic rates and reduce fat mass.
Who Should Take Thermogenic Supplements?
Thermogenic supplements are commonly used by individuals looking to boost their weight loss, decrease body weight, and increase metabolic rates. Thermogenic supplements are best utilized by those looking for an opportunity to supplement their weight loss and burn more fat.
These supplements are best utilized by healthy individuals, as they have not been extensively tested on those with medical conditions or diseases. Those with medical conditions should consult a medical professional before integrating thermogenic supplements into their routine.
As they usually stem from natural ingredients, they are relatively low risk and can offer significant benefits to your weight loss or weight management.
As always, it is best to always consult a physician before integrating supplements into your diet or routine. It would be best if you always tracked any changes or reactions to your body experiences when you begin to take the supplements.
Tracking your body’s reactions can help you know when you should stop taking the supplement or adjust the dosage.
Do Thermogenics Work?
Studies show that thermogenic supplements can genuinely work for those that use them correctly. Many of the ingredients work together to target metabolic rates, appetite suppression, and fat burning processes.
These supplements have been shown to improve weight and weight loss management. They have also been shown to suppress appetite and enhance energy output.
Another study suggests that thermogenic ingredients can increase energy output by 5 per cent, increase fat oxidation by 16 per cent, and maintain or improve overall metabolic rates.
The key to the effectiveness of thermogenic is in the ingredients. The ingredients promote different kinds of weight loss, weight management, and energy expenditure.
Caffeine is a common stimulant in thermogenic. This stimulant helps the body release fatty acids to be used for energy, and it helps boost the metabolism. In this way, the body begins to target fat cells and increase thermogenesis.
Most studies suggest that the combination of thermogenic ingredients with physical activity yields significant results in weight loss, reduction of fat mass, and an increase in metabolic rates.
Thermogenics work, but similar to most supplements, they should be coupled with exercise to yield the maximum results.
What Are Common Thermogenic Ingredients and Foods?
There are both conventional and natural ingredients found in thermogenic supplements. Many of the ingredients found in thermogenic supplements can also be consumed directly through their food source.
Some of these ingredients in thermogenic supplements include green tea extract, various forms of caffeine, capsaicin, garcinia cambogia, yohimbine, and bitter orange.
These all come from different plants, such as tea leaves and hot peppers. They help stimulate fat burning in the cells.
Since many of these ingredients come from foods we can find naturally, we can also go straight to the source and eat these foods to help thermogenic processes.
Thermogenic foods include:
- green tea
- eggs
- chicken
- chilli peppers
- black pepper
- coconut oil
- oats
- cinnamon
- ginger
- turmeric
- garlic
- fish
- some nuts
- mushrooms.
When thermogenic foods are consumed, the digestive system begins to contract at higher speeds and require higher levels of energy to absorb and digest the foods.
These thermogenic foods require higher levels of energy expenditure to digest and also require you to burn more calories and fat to pass them through the digestive tract.
What are the Benefits of Thermogenics?
There are several known benefits to thermogenic. These benefits stem from either the main active ingredient or the combination of ingredients.
Thermogenics can increase your metabolism by up to 15 per cent, according to one study. This is just one statistic regarding the many benefits of thermogenic.
Other benefits of thermogenic include:
- Increased weight loss
- Decrease body mass
- Increase fat oxidation
- Decrease the formation of new fat cells
- Suppress appetite
- Increase energy output
- Improved muscle-to-fat ratio
There are many benefits to thermogenic. Coupled with a healthy diet and exercise, thermogenic can yield significant results and help you with your weight goals.
What are the Side Effects of Thermogenics?
Like all supplements, there are side effects. However, the side effects of thermogenic are significantly reduced since they come from natural ingredients. The increased risk of side effects stems from improper usage of the supplement.
Some side effects include:
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Nervousness
- Stomachaches
- Dehydration
- Overheating / heat exhaustion
- Tremors
- Damage to liver or kidneys
These side effects are minimal and can be reduced or avoided with prevention. Your body also may need time to adjust to new supplements. You can gradually introduce supplements into your routine to prevent many of these adverse side effects.
The more severe side effects are often a result of improper use. They also are more likely to occur in those that have previous medical conditions.
FAQs
Are fat burners dangerous?
Fat burners have a variety of ingredients that vary by brand. The ingredients are integral to the safety of the fat burner.
Some fat burners have been removed from the market because of unsafe ingredients. Yet, many other ingredients in fat burners are proven to be safe.
Fat burners can be dangerous, but only if you do not know what is in your fat burner and you have not done the research about the fat burner you are using.
Also, check the ingredients of the fat burner to make sure it includes only proven ingredients. Additionally, always use fat burners in a way that complements your body and your needs.
Which food burns fat the most?
Diet should always be coupled with healthy exercise, but some foods are more thermogenic than others.
These foods are higher fat-burning nutrients: nuts, eggs, peppers, coconut oil, green tea, oily fish, avocados, oats, quinoa, mushrooms, kale, and some fermented foods.
These foods take more energy for your digestive tract to move and absorb. You can quickly implement these foods into your diet to boost your fat burning and help reach your goals.
How can I reduce my stomach fat?
There are several ways to reduce stomach fat. The two best ways include following a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
The combination of these two lifestyle habits will always help reduce fat in both the stomach and the body overall.
However, there are few tips to help you specifically reduce stomach fat. One suggestion is to eat fatty fish or take fish oil. Three servings of fatty fish per week can reduce liver and belly fat.
You can also drink green tea, which reduces bloating and has been shown to decrease weight and body circumference, especially around the waist.
One other essential tip is to stand up regularly if you work at a desk. Sitting down has been shown to increase the retention of belly fat, so taking breaks to stand up when you work can help your body avoid the retention of fat around the belly
Aside from these three tips, you can also look into fat-burning supplements like thermogenic. These can help you boost your diet and exercise by targeting fat cells.
How can I boost up my metabolism?
There are several ways to boost your metabolism. Eating protein, drinking ice water, and drinking green tea are proven ways to increase metabolism just through eating.
Exercising always boosts metabolism. Try to exercise regularly. You can even implement small changes like parking further away from the store or using the stairs instead of the elevator.
Getting a full night’s rest also helps balance hormones and improve your body’s ability to burn fat, and you are less likely to feel hungry.
These are just some small steps you can take to improve your metabolism.
Takeaway: Introducing Thermogenics to Your Routine
Thermogenics may be a great way to help you reach your weight loss or weight management goals.
They help promote fat burning in thermogenic cells while boosting metabolic rates and offering an appetite suppressant.
Most ingredients in thermogenic supplements come from natural sources, which makes thermogenic supplements very low risk. The side effects are minimal, and the side effects can usually be prevented.
Aside from supplements, you can also increase your intake of thermogenic foods to help you achieve your weight goals.
It is easy to integrate foods like eggs, fish, pepper, or green tea into your diet. These are small changes that can make a big difference in your goals.
There are many thermogenic supplements on the market, so it is always ideal to do your research and find the ones with the best active ingredients that will work for your body and your goals.
Introducing thermogenic to your diet and routine may need just the boost you need to reach both your short term and long-term goals.
Related
References
- Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University. (2010). Thermogenic ingredients and body weight regulation. International Journal of Obesity, 34(4). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20142827
- Ho, K. (2018). Diet-induced thermogenesis: fake friend or foe? Journal of Endocrinology, 238(3). https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/238/3/JOE-18-0240.xml
- Oxford University Press. (2019). Thermogenesis. https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/anatomy-and-physiology/anatomy-and-physiology/thermogenesis
- Vogel, M., et al. (2015). Consuming a multi-ingredient thermogenic supplement for 28 days is apparently safe in healthy adults. Food and Nutrition, 59. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402do%20the/fnr.v59.27999
- Wu, Jun, McDermott, J. R (2015). Formation and activation of thermogenic fat. Trends in Genetics, 31(5). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168952515000414