Research

Fat fighting facts, and Energy boosters
Much research has been carried out over the past few years into the effects of natural stimulants, vitamins, minerals & fats.

Below are a few useful facts that has been published in national papers, magazines and research papers that may be of interest:

Guarana
Guarana, has been shown to be an effective natural energy stimulant. It acts in the same way as caffeine, but can have less dramatic 'downer' effects. It has been found to increase energy levels and concentration levels for up to about four hours after supplementation. Therefore for it can be a useful natural supplementation to aid you increase your workout intensity for those days that you feel lethargic, or to help you with concentration during revision periods, hard brainstorming sessions or a long drive after work for example.

However, like caffeine, over long periods of usage the stimulant effects of guarana can become less apparent. Therefore it is not recommended to be used consistently over a long period of time.

Ginseng
Ginseng has been found to stimulate the metabolism, it can therefore aid in weight loss, when combined with a healthy eating and exercise plan. When the metabolism is increased you will naturally burn more calories for fuel during everyday activities. Other studies have found that Ginseng can help reduce the body's cholesterol levels, and increase energy levels.

Chromium
Chromium has been found to be useful for regulating blood sugar levels. This in-turn helps with regulating the appetite, as you are less likely to get periods of intense hunger, or sugar urges. It may be for this reason that Chromium has been found to surpress the appetite. It has also been found to help the body metabolise fats and proteins more effectively. With this in mind chromium may me a useful supplement for endurance athletes or those exercising for long periods of time.

Lecithin, Choline & L- Carantine
These three supplements are again all-natural and have each been shown to help metabolise lipoproteins. This in-turn helps the body to convert more body fat into energy. As with the case of L- carnitine the body cells actually are able to increase the amount of body fat taken up into the cell, as more is readily available for conversion.

Again these maybe useful supplements for weight loss purposes.

Garcinia Cambogia
Garcinia cambogia has been found by research to have strong fat burning abilities, as it has been found to increase the metabolism and the amount of body fat burnt during physical activity. Other studies have also found it to be effective at reducing cholesterol levels in the blood and controlling the appetite.

Green Tea
Green leaf tea is another natural stimulant. It has been shown to be useful in creasing the metabolism and increasing the body's ability to uptake increased amounts of body fat for energy. However like black tea it does contain caffeine, so water intake should also be increased when increasing daily amounts of green tea.

Other research has also found green leaf tea to be a powerful anti-oxidant, helping to combat the ageing process, by reducing the levels of free radicals in the blood which can attack other healthy cells in the body.

CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
It appears by the research carried out on CLA so far that it can help the body regulate fat and protein. The reason for this is that it interferes with lipoprotein lipase in the body, which is the substance responsible for laying down body fat in the body's cells. In-turn CLA helps the body metabolise existing fat for energy, whilst increasing protein synthesis (increasing the potential to build muscle). However, as CLA is most commonly found in red meats and dairy products and these are high in saturated fats, it is suggested that supplementation of CLA is a better option that consuming large quantities of these foods.

Research carried out so far has found that a dose of 1,200mg three times a day before meals is the most effective supplementation of CLA.

Health Facts

Bread and migraines
A recent report in the Journal of Neurology found that cutting out bread and cereal grains could help reduce the occurrence of recurring headaches.

In a trial involving 10 patients, it was found that when they stopped eating grains, such as wheat, rye, barley and oats, nine of the patients found partial or total pain relief. The researchers in this trial believe that their headaches may have been caused by gluten in the food. However, it is stressed that medical advice should be taken before taking up a gluten-free diet.

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