Tips for  Healthy Living: Pillar 6

Being the health nut I am, I try to eat healthily, get to the gym every day and keep up on health & fitness news. For example, the June 2009 issue of Life Extension magazine featured an article about how to successfully shed lbs. which I’d like to share with you. We’ll feature a new pillar in each issue. – Carmelo Sigona

Pillar 6: Restore Resting Energy Expenditure Rate

It is often challenging for aging humans to lose significant body fat stores, even when following a low-calorie diet, restoring youthful hormone balance, ingesting fiber, and aggressively exercising. A missing link for successful long-term weight loss is failing to boost resting energy expenditure, i.e., to burn off stored body fat.

Here are some natural nutritional agents that offer safe and effective means of enhancing metabolic rate…

1). The green tea polyphenol, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), in combination with caffeine (50 mg caffeine, 90 mg EGCG) has been shown to enhance 24-hour energy expenditure in human test subjects.

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2). Fish oils are rich in EPA and DHA, but few people are aware that these omega-3 fatty acids also have beneficial effects on thermogenesis. They inhibit key enzymes responsible for lipid synthesis.

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3). Linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid) is a newly discovered good fat that may be a potential cancer fighter, as well as a helpful ingredient to lose weight. Our local, grass-fed beef containes from 300-500% more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than cattle that’s fed a grain diet. Experimental studies consistently show the benefits of CLA, in particular the trans-10, cis-12 isomer, which has metabolic benefits that include increased energy expenditure, decreased fat cell differentiation and proliferation, decreased fat synthesis, and increased fat burning and fat oxidation.

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4). Capsaicin, the active agent in red pepper, has been shown to enhance thermogenesis and energy metabolism in humans. In one study, energy expenditure was seen to increase in lean young women after consuming a capsaicin-rich curry. Another study showed that consumption of a cultivar of red pepper increased core body temperature and metabolic rate in test humans.

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5). Extracts of ginger rich in gingerols and shogaols have been shown to increase oxygen consumption and enhance fat burning in experimental models.