If you leaf though various supplement catalogues, you'll see all sorts of claims made about products that will simply spirit your belly away. And, like the best magic, it's all a sleight of hand.
The only fat burning concoction that's been found to work to date is called an ephedrine, caffeine and asprin stack (ECA stack for short). But you can kiss goodbye to that as ephedrine’s been banned. That hasn't stopped other products trying to fill its shoes though.
The quick answer is that none will make any significant difference to your fat burning. If you really want to burn fat try a decent fat loss diet and workout programme such as our Mansized plan. Make sure you drink more water and spend the money you save on something that will actually make a difference such as a gym membership, trips to the swimming baths or Sunday footie in the park.
And here's the long answer. We've checked out all the key ingredients in 'fat burning' products and this is what they do.
Synephrine
You'll hear about this a lot as it's chemically similar to ephedrine. Unfortunately there’s no significant data to say that it increases fat loss, although we do know it ups your blood pressure and can increase the risk of cardiovascular events.
Green tea
There's been tons of research into the fat loss properties of this, but to date there's been no significant difference between the Green Tea group and the placebo group. If you're drinking the stuff because you like it then go right ahead as there are other potential health benefits. If you're only necking it to lose the belly, save your money.
Caffeine
Stimulants such as Kola Nut and Guarana have been shown to increase fat loss when teamed with ephedra, but you can't get hold of ephedrine so this bunch are effectively ruled out. You'll still find them teaming up with ephedrine alternatives like synephrine (above) or sida cordifolia to try to make a weak substitute for the ECA stack.
7-keto
There's been a little research to back up the fat busting properties of this pro-hormone. One study involving obese male subjects on 7-keto showed 200% more fat loss than a placebo group, so expect to see wonder claims any time soon.
Our advice is don't get too excited. Read the small print of the study and you'll get to the facts, which are these. After eight weeks, those taking 7-keto lost around 6.5 pounds and the placebo group roughly half that.
First, both groups were on a calorie controlled diet so there's no getting away from cutting down on your eating. Second, if you're not obese you won't get anything like the same results.
Third, and the killer, is the cost. Pro-hormones as being marketed as 'steroid like' and with prices to match. Four weeks' worth will set you back around £45 and will give you about 1.5lbs extra fat loss based on the results of the trial we just mentioned. That's £28 per pound of fat.
If you've got that kind of money to burn, give it to us instead and we'll design you a programme that will work. Better still, use our fat loss plan above and give the money you've saved to charity.
Carnitine
This ingredient is already present in your body. It's main job is to shift fatty acids into cells to be used as energy and, naturally, this has lead to some bright spark hitting upon a marketing opportunity.
More carnitine means more fat loss, right? Wrong. Tests have thrown up mixed results, but the biggest winners in the fat loss stakes have been those with the least amount of carnitine in their bodies.
Having said all that, all of us eat about 300mg of this stuff a day anyway so there's no need to stuff supplemented versions down your gullet. So, again, save your money.
Sesamin
All research on this ingredient has been restricted to rats and the rest is pure theory. Until there's more to go on we say steer clear.
Hoodia
This is an appetite suppressant so it obviously makes you eat less. That's nothing that a structured diet and a bit of willpower won't do.
Bacopa Monnieri
You'll see this pop up now and again for it's 'stress reducing properties'. The fat loss benefits? Nil. You may feel a bit better about yourself necking it, but there's plenty of other ways to get stress down such as these tips from our very own Drs Keith and Gary.
Combinations of the above
You'll often see new mix and match formulas touted around in an attempt to get you to part with more money. Again, just say no.
Our 'favourite' is the all new synephrine/ kola nut or guarana/ white willow combo. The literature says it makes an ECA stack, but we say watch it. As we said above, synephrine raises blood pressure and the last thing you want to do is add another stimulant on top of that.
Beware 'scientific' references
You'll see all sorts of science to back this stuff up, but you need to be wary. Lots of percentages and references don't make for good science. The companies concerned know that 99.9% of their customers won't know how to find the papers they reference and wouldn't know how to interpret them if they did.
If you see a high pressure brochure or website, tell us and we'll do a bit of digging for you. After all, we're not trying to sell you anything.
