By Michael Colgan, Ph.D.
Take a lesson on fat loss from bears that activate their brown
adipose tissue during winter months.
A hibernating bear, for example, can lose 300 pounds of fat while
it sleeps through the winter. Its body converts body fat to BAT, then creates
the heat required to prevent freezing to death in the winter. And the bear does
not have to move a muscle!
We are not as efficient as bears at burning fat with BAT.
Nevertheless, the amount of BAT in the body of a 40-year-old man or woman is
still sufficient to use 10 to 15 percent of their total energy.
But you have to get your BAT moving. Turn up the inner heat.
Exposure to cold is very effective. It’s a bit extreme, but it works.
I am busy at my annual task of convincing clients to sit and
meditate under a freezing waterfall, or lie in the snow in swimmers by the pool
(frozen). These are popular methods for fat loss. I wear a 30-below suit with
hood and balaclava so they don’t notice my hysterics.
Usual weight loss programs don’t activate BAT at all. Quite the
opposite! If you go on a sudden food restriction diet, the body automatically
turns down its heat production and its energy production as a defense mechanism
to conserve its fat. That’s why dieters generally feel cold and tired.
You Can Increase BAT
Activity
If you can’t face the freeze, there are several things in natural
foods that raise BAT activity nicely. The best known is caffeine from coffee.
Controlled studies show that a cup of ground arabica coffee on an empty stomach
in the morning increases thermogenesis and burns body fat for up to four hours
afterwards (2,3).
Green tea also has a separate thermogenic effect, originally
thought to be because of its caffeine content. Recent studies, however, show
that a group of chemicals called catechins in green tea are mostly responsible.
The main catechin in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), induces
thermogenesis by itself (2-3).
In a placebo-controlled study, published in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, two groups of 19 healthy, middle-aged men
used a moderately reduced-calorie diet, plus tea for 12 weeks. Green tea
extract was added to the tea of 19 subjects to yield high levels of catechins.
Tea without the extract, containing only low levels of catechins, was used by
the 19 controls. The group consuming tea with high catechins lost an average of
5.4 pounds of body fat, approximately twice the body fat loss of the control
group. Much of the loss was visceral fat from the belly and fat from the
thighs.
The researchers concluded: “Body weight, BMI, waist circumference,
body fat mass, and subcutaneous fat area were significantly lower in the green
tea extract group than in the control group” (4).
You don’t have to freeze off the flab. Lose that belly fat nice
and easy with Isagenix. Brain Boost & Renewal contains high levels of EGCG
from green tea, and e+ shot contains both green tea caffeine and catechins.
Take both before your workout and green tea with every 400- to 600-calorie meal
or an IsaLean Shake to support improved weight loss. It’s a great way to
fine-tune abs and buns for the summer, with the bonus of a better brain.
References:
1. Stock MJ. Thermogenesis and
brown fat: relevance to human obesity. Infusionstherapie,
1989;16(6):282-284.
2. Wolfram S, Wang Y, Thielecke
F. Anti-obesity effects of green tea: from bedside to bench. Mol Nutr Food
Res, 2006;50(2):176-187.
3. Nagao T, Komine Y, Soga S, Meguro S, Hase T, Tanaka Y,
Tokimitsu I. Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body
fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81(1):122-129.
4. Nagao T, Hase T, Tokimitsu I. A green tea extract high in
catechins reduces body fat and cardiovascular risks in humans. Obesity,
2007;15(6):1473-1483.
Note from Donna: Our new e+ Energy Drink aids in the burning BAT and helps you lose weight. Contact me for more information: www.thehealthyhelms.com
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