Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Zantrex 3 - Does it aid weight loss

Zantrex-3 is one of the newest self-touted "super pills" to hit the competitive diet supplement market in recent years. Its marketing material boasts "546% more weight loss" than other brands - a statistic that is difficult to verify or investigate. There are no citations to clinical trials except for a reference to one study performed on an insignificant sample size of 47 people over 45 days, all who lost an average of 11.2 pounds.


Zantrex-3 promotes itself as a xanthine-based stimulant, Caffeine is one of the family of Xanthines and so the effects are similar to those of Caffiene.


Like similar fat-loss catalysts Xenadrine and Hydroxycut, Zantrex-3 contains caffeine-rich ingredients like yerba mate, guarana seed and green tea, making a dose the equivalent to drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee. Caffeine can stimulate the metabolism and act as a mild diuretic, which may speed up weight-loss in people who eat a low fat diet and perform regular exercise. Other herbal ingredients include ginseng, kola nut and damiana, a South American shrub that affects the nervous system.


You may, loose a few pounds when taking Zantrex-3 especially if you are also watching your food intake and activity level. However, it probably won't lead to a dramatic dip in the scale which is probably more beneficial. Most likely, you will experience caffeine-related side effects such as the jitters, restlessness, sweating and increased urination. Plus expect to crash with some withdrawal symptoms after you stop taking Zantrex-3. Caffeine can be addictive.


So, if after reading this article you want to give it a go then why not visit a high quality supplement site and purchase some to see if it will work for you.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Xenadrine - EFX a balanced view

Xenadrine EFX was made to create more thermogenic power than ever before to give you incredible energy lift. Its perfect extra strength weight loss formula is blend of safe thermogenic compounds proven to increase the energy and metabolic rate to help loose body fat fast and easily.

What is inside Xenadrine EFX ?

Vitamin C 100 mg
Vitamin B6 10 mg
Pantothenic Acid 12 mg
Magnesium 10 mg
Proprietary Thermodyne™ Complex 1415 mg

Tyroplex™ (blend of l-tyrosine and acetyl-l-tyrosine: amino acid that is a precursor for a number of neurotransmitters related to our feeling and mood. A deficiency in this results in depression and reduced ability to cope with stress.
Green Tea Extract (powerful antioxidant, it blocks the cancer-promoting actions of carcinogens, ultraviolet light from the skin, stomach, small intestine, liver or lung)

Seropro™ (cocoa extract Phenylethylamine (PEA) helps increase attention and activity and has been shown to relieve depression)

Yerba Mate (contains a gentle form of caffeine, it also supplies vitamins, minerals, and 15 amino acids, may aid with sleep irregularities and joint pains. Many people drink yerba mate to boost energy without the side effects of coffee

di-Methionine, Ginger Root , Isotherm™ (quercetin and fisetin), Bitter Orange, DMAE (2-dimethylaminoethanol), Grape Seed Extract.

Clinical studies have revealed excellent fat loss and weight control results achieved with Xenadrine. One study with 2 groups, a placebo and a Xenadrine group proved that the Xenadrine group achieve 759% more fat-loss than the placebo group in 180 days. This group had much more increase in lean muscle mass than the placebo group. A positive note is that subjects did not experience any negative side effects.

Warnings

However the description above and the claims made generally need to be seen in the light of the recent FTC findings

"The marketers are required to back up the claims with the science and if they can't do that they can't make the claim. But we don't ban the products from the shelves," said FTC commissioner Deborah Platt Majoras.
The marketers of Xenadrine EFX must pay at least $8 million US and as much as $12.8 million.

In my view, the only way to see if this supplement is going to work for you is to try it and monitor any side-effects closely. Having used it and seen the results – they can be good when used with a fitness regime – then it is worth looking past the bad press and the bad marketing that has gone on.

So, if after reading this article you want to give it a go then why not visit a high quality supplement site and purchase some to see if it will work for you.

Monday, January 15, 2007

New Research on CLA

Researchers from Norway reported this month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that overweight patients given conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) experienced weight loss and favorable changes in body composition.

CLA is a dietary supplement, available (and popular) where ever such supplements are sold, consisting of a slightly altered form of omega-6 free fatty acids. CLA has been shown in several animal studies to reduce total body fat and increase lean body mass. However, in a prior randomized trial in overweight humans, no benefits were seen after 3 months of consuming CLA.

In the study reported this month, 180 healthy but overweight men and women, with body mass index (BMI) scores of 25 to 30 kg/m2, were randomized to receive either CLA (in one of two forms) or an olive oil placebo. (Note: a "normal" BMI is less than 25. Overweight is 25 - 29, and obese is 30 or over. All participants took 4.5 grams of the fat supplements to which they were assigned (i.e., CLA or olive oil) per day, and were also placed on a restricted calorie diet. At the end of 12 months, patients randomized to CLA (but not to placebo) showed a reduction in body weight and BMI, as well as a reduction in body fat mass and an increase in lean body mass. No significant side effects were seen, and the side effects that did occur were similar in both CLA and placebo groups. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal in nature.

Should you take CLA?
It is highly doubtful that this single, relatively small randomized trial is going to make any medical or dietary professional organizations jump on the CLA bandwagon. CLA is already quite popular out in the wild, and without stronger data, professional groups will be reluctant to feed the frenzy.
However, this new data is quite consistent with a much larger body of evidence from animal studies showing that CLA can provide favorable changes in body composition. This, and the fact that taking CLA appears (at this moment, at least) to be pretty safe, would make consuming the stuff seem a fairly reasonable thing to do.
But don't expect miracles - in this latest study, the average weight loss experienced with CLA in these overweight patients after a full year was less than 4 pounds, and the average drop in BMI was only approximately 0.5 kg/m2. Without a good diet and lots of exercise, taking CLA is not very likely to promote a noticeable change in your appearance or your health. There's still no magic.

If this has given you a taste to try CLA and kick start your weightloss efforts then be sure to visit a quality merchant to purchase CLA

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

CLA - What it is and is it Effective

Over the last few years one subject has been coming up quite often in the weight loss arena and has really started to be quite a hot topic. The subject is a fat known as CLA which stands for Conjugated Linoleic Acid. Rumours say that CLA will cure cancer, lower your cholesterol and decrease your body fat especially around the middle all at one time. Kind of like the superman of fats.

What is CLA?

CLA, Conjugated Linoleic Acid is actually a mixture of positional or geometric isomers (molecules with the same chemical formula and often with the same kinds of bonds between atoms, but in which the atoms are arranged differentlynd are therefore of a different structural formulae) of the omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid. There are a number of different isomers and most studies have used mixed isomers. The fact that these studies used mixed isomers may have contributed to the differences in results of the various studies. Certain isomers seem to be more active than others.

Verification of these studies may have been problematic due to the use of mixed isomers of CLA. The isomers of CLA have different physiological effects on the body and may react differently in obese as opposed to normal weighted individuals.

CLA has been said to be useful in weight loss, cardiovascular disease prevention, diabetes, and cancer treatment. For our purposes here we will only discuss whether or not it works for weight loss and especially fat loss.

Does it work?

It would appear that there is some validity to the claims that CLA reduces body fat and that CLA can be a good supplement to assist in fat loss for the overweight and obese person. More and more studies have been done and are being done and it would seem that CLA comes out on top each time. In fact I haven’t yet seen a study which disputes the claim of earlier researchers that CLA reduces bodyfat. It also would appear from many studies that it appears to help most with abdominal bodyfat.
I have seen such noted names as Josh Bezoni, and Dr. Williams write articles in favor of CLA.

The most common method of obtaining CLA is by purchasing it as a supplement, however blue, brie, Edam, and Swiss Cheeses are also good sources of CLA.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Side Effects of Creatine

Creatine is a naturally produced by the human body and is an amino-acid based compound. The body produces half the required creatine indigenously from internal amino acids and the rest is produced from the food we eat. Creatine is produced by the liver, pancreas and kidneys and is sent to the muscle tissues through the blood.
It is converted into phosphocreatine molecules that store energy in muscular tissues. This allows the body to release large bouts of energy when the body is exerted.

Creatine can be taken as a food supplement like vitamins and minerals. This is to create additional phosphocreatine in the body for generating more energy. Creatine supplements are generally taken by people participating in sports that require sudden bursts of energy for short periods.

Creatine supplements are approved by the FDA under the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.

Creatine also has other benefits like promoting lean-muscle mass and reducing muscle wasting in post-surgical patients. It is also believed to help heart patients by increasing their exercise capacity, reducing heart spasms and thus increasing heart function. Some studies have also indicated its usefulness in treating neuromuscular disorders though tests are still being conducted.

Use of creatine as a food supplement is on the rise. Despite its usefulness, creatine is found to have some side effects albeit few. The most common side effect is weight gain due to more water in the muscle and increase in the lean-muscle tissue. Other side effects rported are dehydration, muscle cramps, nausea, diarrhea, gastrointestinal distress. For persons with existing kidney or renal disorders, creatine was found to cause renal stress because of more stress on the kidneys.

The long-term effects of taking Creatine over a long period of time haven’t been established yet. Its side effects when used along with other medications or supplements also haven’t been determined yet. Hence it is better to be well informed about the likely side effects of creatine before using it, especially in the “loading” method.

If after reading this article you want to give creatine a try then make sure to visit a quality merchant to purchase creatine

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Whats creatine

Creatine is a naturally formed nutrient in the human body. It is an amino acid-based compound that is produced in the body from existing amino acids and food. Creatine content is found in foods like fish and red meat. The Creatine produced in the body is converted into a molecule known as “phosphocreatine”. Phosphocreatine stores energy in muscular tissues, especially in voluntary muscles and in the nervous system as these require large bouts of energy suddenly.

There are also other benefits from Creatine such as promoting lean-muscle mass and reducing muscle wasting in post-surgical patients. It is also believed to help heart patients by increasing their exercise capacity, reducing heart spasms and thus increasing heart function. Some studies have also indicated its usefulness in treating neuromuscular disorders, though tests are still being conducted. Creatine is categorized as a food supplement by the FDA.

Creatine is said to be the “most legitimate sports supplement” today. Creatine is essentially used by sportspersons who participate in heavy sports like weightlifting, wrestling and sprinting. This is because these sports require sudden bursts of energy for a short period of time. Creatine also helps the athlete to recover sooner even after using up all the energy. Taking too much Creatine is also not very harmful as the body can absorb only a certain quantity and the rest is expelled from the body through the kidneys.

Creatine is also found to be useful for people suffering from neuromuscular disorders like ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease), a degenerative neural disease, when tested in mice. It was found to be twice as effective in extending the life of mice as compared to the existing prescription drug – riluzole. This may be due to the increase in the availability of energy to damaged nerve cells. Or it can be because of a blocking to a chemical pathway that causes cell death.

If this has given you a taste to try and ethically enhance your training then be sure to visit a quality merchant to purchase creatine

Monday, January 01, 2007

How Does Xenadrine Work a Simple review

How does Xenadrine Work?

Xenadrine™ is an ephedra free, thermogenic fat burner and lipolysis stimulator to help break down fat. This revolutionary formula contains a powerful blend of natural ingredients shown in clinical research to increase the body’s metabolic rate and support the body in burning excess body fat.

I have made a number of posts on this subject please go to AllYourNutrition Blog .

In addition I have also started an online store and would be grateful for your feedback as to whether or not the store is offering the right supplements e.g. Xenadrine, Zantrex 3, Isopure, creatine