If you want to lose weight and get into great shape, then you might find the idea of a fat burner. This is a supplement that promises to help you lose more weight even when you’re relaxing, simply by increasing your metabolism and the number of calories you burn at any given time.
Unfortunately though, not all fat burners are made equal. While some very much do deliver on their promise and help you to increase your weight loss, others either don’t work or are actually down right dangerous!
To know which burners you can take safely and which ones you should avoid like the plague, it’s important to understand the different ingredients that go into them and to know how they work. In this article then, we’ll look at some of the most popular ingredients in fat burners that you actually can rely on them to get the job done.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a fat burning ingredient you likely know well and it certainly does work. Consuming caffeine wakes up the brain by removing the inhibitory neurotransmitter/waste product called ‘adenosine’. Meanwhile, it also helps to burn more calories by increasing the metabolism and raising the heartrate.
Caffeine is in pretty much every fat burner and it’s a simple, safe ingredient that works well. That said though, you need to be careful not to consume too much caffeine as this can lead to the heartrate becoming dangerously high. Read how much caffeine is in your supplement and be careful not to consume lots of strong coffee on top of your burner.
Green Tea Extract
Green tea contains more caffeine as well as several other interesting ingredients like l-theanine and theobromine. Green tea not only increases your metabolism but it also supports your cells – so it’s an all round good ingredient to get in your diet.
L-Carnitine
L-Carnitine is an amino acid that you get from your protein but it also has a special additional role of increasing cellular energy and help you to get more use from the glucose and ATP in your diet. This will reduce fat storage while at the same time helping you to support muscle growth – though only slightly.
As something found in your diet naturally, l-carnitine is a perfectly safe and healthy ingredient.
Bitter Orange
Bitter orange is one of the stronger options for a fat burner and actually works very similarly to a mild stimulant such as an amphetamine. In fact, bitter orange is actually banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
While bitter orange is one of the more effective forms of fat burner, it’s worth noting that it is also one of the slightly more severe. It is generally used to replace the ingredient ‘ephedra’ which has since been banned by the FDA. It may cause increased blood pressure.
ZMA
ZMA is zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6 combined in a synergistic manner to support testosterone production. ZMA is an interesting inclusion as it may actually help to improve sleep, while also boosting the anabolic properties of the body. Either way, these minerals are all crucial for your brain and body so this is another healthy addition.
