Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing many dangerous diseases. Therefore, shedding that excess pounds benefits your health by default. However, there are some fat-burning ingredients that have additional positive effects on your wellbeing. Including them into your weight loss program will boost its results overall.
3 Best Fat-Burning Ingredients Your Diet Needs
Caffeine
That morning cup of coffee you love so much is doing great things for your health. Recently, researchers have been working on identifying the health benefits of caffeine and they’ve yet to call a stop on their findings. So far we know that caffeine can:
- Enhance cognition
- Reduce the risks of the Parkinson’s disease, throat cancer, and type 2 diabetes
- Boost the efficiency of your workouts
- Reduce pain (combined with Ibuprofen)
The Telegraph lists some more proven benefits as well as studies that back up those claims. You can also check out a detailed review of recent human studies on coffee benefits available at Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. It compiles all most relevant research on various positive health effects of caffeine that range from enhanced cardiovascular health to the prevention of liver disease.
The benefits of caffeine as a fat-burning ingredient are directly connected to its effect on exercise. A study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise has shown that regular consumption of caffeine combined with exercise results in a massive increase in fat reduction. This effect also helps with maintaining one’s results after achieving the desired level of weight loss.
Please bear in mind that caffeine is a stimulant and therefore might have some negative effects when taken in excess. In particular, it increases anxiety and can interact with certain medications.
Capsaicin
Capsaicin is the element that makes chili peppers taste ‘hot’ and it literally makes your body hotter, hence its presence in the list of fat-burning ingredients. The reasons why capsaicin is present in today’s most effective diet pills are:
- It burns off fat through oxidation.
There’s a great study from PLoS One that explains why adding capsaicin to weight loss supplements provides visible effects. Usually, to lose weight you must achieve a negative energy balance (meaning to consume fewer calories than you burn). However, doing this naturally slows down your metabolism. This study shows that capsaicin can prevent this and oxidate the fat cells. As a result, you’ll be getting the maximum benefits of your diet. - It helps promote vascular health.
The increased risk of heart disease is one of the main dangers of obesity. This study published in Open Heart proves that capsaicin isn’t only a fat-burning ingredient. It’s also a heart health booster. This element helps prevent plaque formation and natural flushing of cholesterol. It also achieves the weight loss effects mentioned above without bringing your blood pressure up. - Capsaicin-induced fat oxidation is so effective, it helps maintain your weight loss results.
A study from the British Journal of Nutrition showed that people who ingest capsaicin are more likely to prevent weight regain after completing their fat-burning program. Note that these results can be achieved only by maintaining a well-balanced diet.
Citrus Aurantium (Bitter Orange)
Citrus Aurantium has been used in Chinese traditional medicine and in other cultures for millennia. Its main applications are the treatment of digestive disorders, anxiety, and insomnia. Unfortunately, its effects on health aren’t as well-researched as its efficiency for weight loss.
The latter has been proven beyond any doubt, as you can see from this review of human clinical studies from the International Journal of Medical Sciences. This element performs best when combined with other fat-burning ingredients, especially caffeine. Together they enhance the metabolism helping your body shed excess weight faster. Bitter orange is safe to use in dietary supplements and can be taken by people who aren’t sensitive to this particular element.
