Carnitine should be taken at least one hour before exercise. Athletes will supplement with up to 4 grams daily. Active people, however, repeatedly put their bodies in a state of stress that uses lots of carnitine, easily exceeding the body’s ability to make it (10,11). True, a sedentary person on a decent diet doesn’t need a carnitine supplement. Nutrition textbooks will tell you that carnitine is made by the body, making supplementation unnecessary. Supplementing with oral carnitine will increase muscle carnitine levels and insure maximum fat burning potential. L-carnitine controls fat use because it transports fatty acids into the mitochondria of the muscle cells to be burned as fuel. The white body fat of the rats also developed a host of new brown fat cells from previously inactive preadipocytes (9). Research has shown that rats treated with beta-3 agonists (similar to ephedra) increased their resting metabolism by a whopping 45% by increasing uncoupled thermogenesis in white and brown fat (8). Equally important, genetic studies map the uncoupling proteins to chromosome 11, which are linked by other research to the control of body fat and insulin metabolism. This allows the fatty acids to oxidize without being turned into adenosine triphosphate. Uncoupling proteins open a pathway by dissipating the proton gradient across the inner membrane of the mitochondria in both brown and white body fat (7). Uncoupling proteins change the atomic structure of fats and generate heat independent of normal energy metabolism. Science-phobes may skip to the next section. To grasp the idea, we have to delve into some semi-complicated biochemistry. The uncoupling principle is a powerful reason that ECA stacks are such potent fat mobilizers. Ephedra is not recommended for patients who are taking MAO inhibitors, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or other anti-depressant medication. Stimulants are contraindicated for those who are pregnant, or anyone with hypertension, arrhythmia, or other cardiac problems. If you choose to use stimulants, you should start with half a dose and see how you feel. Use of the ECA stack should be judicious, and keep in mind that not everyone tolerates stimulants well. It makes sense to cycle ephedra usage on and off, because tolerance and loss of effect are rapid (6). Recommended doses vary from brand to brand, depending on standardization, and you should never exceed the manufacturers recommended dosage. Extremely high doses can cause hallucinations, heart attacks, and strokes (5). Over-use of ephedrine can cause anxiety, irritability, insomnia, hypertension, and addiction. The components of the ECA stack work well together because caffeine potentiates the action of the ephedra (2), and the salicylate increases the amount of nor-epinepherine (3 ) by limiting the body’s natural production of certain prostaglandins that decrease elevated nor-epinepherine levels (4). Ephedra is also a potent appetite suppressant (1). This elevates the body’s metabolic rate, and causes more calories to be burned. These, frequently combined with other thermogenic substances like cayenne pepper and yohimbine, work by stimulating the body’s output of noradrenaline. Ephedra is an alkaloid from the herb Ma Huang, herbal caffeine commonly comes from Kola nut or guarana, and aspirin is a salicylate derived from white willow bark. The main ingredients for most of these fat loss or “energy” supplements are ephedra, caffeine, and aspirin (frequently referred to as the ECA stack). Some common thermogenic products are Ripped Fuel, Thermadrene, and Metabolife. They actually work pretty well in boosting the metabolic rate and assisting the uncoupling process (below) via beta-agonists. Thermogenic supplements are stimulants, mostly herbal in origin. Thermogenesis is just a fancy name for raising body temperature. There are some supplements, however, that have been proven to be effective in aiding body fat loss. Few supplements that promise fat loss can actually assist the process.
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