Supplement Performance - Fat Loss Supplements Update
DHEA, Nicotine and Usnic Acid
“Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out.” — Thomas Cardinal Wolsey (1471-1530)
Hot babes prefer guys with ripped abs, so nobody wants to look like the Michelin Man. Nevertheless, more than half of the adult population must now be classified as overweight or obese in the U.S. Thus, it’s not surprising that the market is flooded with many hundreds of products that promise to shed extra lard quickly and easily. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find objective information on these products. Even articles found in the various sports magazines that support the use of dietary supplements for fat loss are often commercially biased. That´s why you read science-based, no-BS magazines like Muscular Development. With that said, let’s examine the latest findings on fat loss supplements.
DHEA Cuts Abdominal Fat
DHEA is a naturally occurring steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Before being secreted into the blood, most of the DHEA is sulfated to form dehydroepiandosterone sulfate (DHEAS), which is the dominant steroid in the blood in most mammals, including humans. As illustrated in Figure 1, the levels of DHEAS in men and women decline as they get older. So, some have suggested that keeping your DHEAS levels at or near your younger age levels could improve your quality of life by preventing chronic diseases.
[Insert here figure 6 from ”Living Longer in the Boomer Age”, page 44. This is important!]
Figure 1. DHEAS Blood Levels in Humans. Adapted from Zenk, 1998.
DHEA supplementation has been shown to reduce accumulation of abdominal fat in lab animals. Thus, Drs. Dennis Villareal and John Holloszy at the Washington School of Medicine examined whether DHEA replacement therapy shreds lard in humans too. Fifty-six elderly men and women (aged 65-78 years) with age-related decreases in DHEA-levels participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 50 milligrams of DHEA or placebo (fake supplementation) for six months.
Results indicated that DHEA supplementation compared with placebo induced significant decreases in abdominal fat (-13 cm2 versus 3 cm2) and subcutaneous fat (-13 cm2 versus 2 cm2). DHEA also improved insulin sensitivity and increased blood levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). According to the authors, “These findings provide evidence that DHEA replacement therapy may partially reverse the aging-related accumulation of abdominal fat in elderly people with low [blood] levels of DHEAS… Large studies, however, will be needed to verify our findings.”
In summary, this preliminary study shows that DHEA supplementation cuts abdominal fat and improves insulin sensitivity in elderly persons. However, we don’t know whether DHEA has similar effects in young gym rats. If you are over 40, you may want to give it a try. DHEA supplements are inexpensive and widely available. Finally, although this study also included female subjects, women should first consult doctor, as DHEA is androgenic.
Caffeine Nicotine: Super Thermogenic Stack?
It’s well established that nicotine replacement therapy limits weight gain after smoking cessation. So, Dr. Anna Jessen and colleagues at the Royal Veterinary and
Agricultural University in Denmark examined the acute thermogenic (heat producing) effects of chewing gum containing different doses of nicotine and caffeine. This well-controlled study included 12 healthy, normal-weight men; energy expenditure was measured before and 2.5 hours after subjects chewed the gum.
Interestingly, the results indicated that one milligram of nicotine has a pronounced thermogenic effect, which is increased by about 100 percent when it’s combined with 100 milligrams of caffeine. Also, no side effects were reported with the gums that contained one milligram of nicotine with 50 or 100 milligrams of caffeine. Nevertheless, if you want to give this stack a try, talk with your doctor first.
Usnic Acid Destroys the Liver
Supplements containing usnic acid have been marketed for fat loss. However, we strongly feel you should NOT use this stuff for any purpose. Recently, Dr. Francisco Durazo and colleagues at Dumont-UCLA Liver Transplant Center described the case of a young healthy female who developed severe liver failure requiring liver transplantation after taking usnic acid. She had no history of liver disease and her markers for hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) were negative. The only other product she took was SportPharma Pepti-Lean,an innocent supplement containing albumin, oligopeptides, etc. Thus, we can conclude this was a case of usnic acid poisoning.
