The Caffeine Powers For Fat-Burning Process

Caffeine is often called a “fat burner” because it boosts your metabolism. But does it really help you lose weight?

The short answer is yes

If asked to name the most popular and researched performance-enhancing substance in the world, most people would answer “creatine.” Despite the impressive list of publications supporting its use, support for creatine pales in comparison to another product that is automatically included in many product formulations and consumed by more Americans than any other performance-enhancing substance.

What is this amazing substance? And why is it so well-known but not taken more seriously? Caffeine is a popular, well-known substance that often goes unnoticed. It’s found in many different forms, such as coffee, tea, and soda. It’s integrated itself into many beverages and products in a sneaky way, so it’s rarely recognized for what it is.

Studies have consistently shown positive ergogenic effects with caffeine use, making it safe to consume in high doses. The same sports organizations that routinely ban any substance with performance-enhancing benefits allow caffeine to be used at levels that are substantially higher than the levels of consumption that are seen in everyday life. Despite its widespread use among athletes and soldiers, caffeine has been most commonly used in the formulation of fat-loss products.

Caffeine is a highly effective fat burner, with many published studies documenting its success in reducing body fat. These studies have shown caffeine to increase the release of stored fat as well as the rate at which calories are burned. The net results are statistically significant, but in the real world are not sufficient for the fat-loss desires of overweight couch potatoes or competitive bodybuilders. Caffeine can increase your resting metabolic rate only slightly; noticeable weight loss would require months of consistent use.

The best results from caffeine are usually achieved when it is used in combination with other drugs or supplements. This is why caffeine is found in many different supplements, such as green tea extract, yohimbine, synephrine, etc.

Researchers found that caffeine is truly effective in helping to lose weight and reviewed several ways in which caffeine helps with fat loss. Acheson et al. studied the effect of caffeine on lipolysis (release of stored fat from fat cells), oxidative lipid disposal (burning fat calories), non-oxidative lipid turnover (breaking down fat that is not burned for energy and then reforming it as stored fat) and energy expenditure (the total number of calories burned).

Caffeine may help you lose fat by promoting it in two major ways. First, caffeine helps to reduce the number of fat cells. This action is likely due to caffeine’s ability to stimulate neurotransmitters and drugs that increase beta-adrenergic receptor activity. These receptors are stimulated by adrenaline and similar chemicals, which leads to an increased level of “sympathetic tone” in the body. Second, caffeine may help to increase the rate at which your muscles burn calories. The sympathetic tone may rise moderately during a “fight-or-flight” response or it may be low during periods of rest or sleep. Regardless, beta-adrenergic receptors are constantly being stimulated to some degree to maintain blood pressure, mental focus, energy (glucose and fat) levels, etc. At rest and without the addition of caffeine, there is not much fat release or increase in calorie burning because of the negating effect of a competing class of adrenergic receptors called alpha-2 adrenergic receptors. While beta receptors promote fat loss and increase calorie burning, the alpha-2 receptors do the opposite.10 Legendary steroid guru Dan Duchaine had recommended the use of yohimbine to block alpha.

Caffeine is a fairly simple molecule, classified as a trimethylxanthine. One function of caffeine is to promote the cAMP signal generated by beta-adrenergic drugs or hormones. This happens by acting as an adenosine antagonist, meaning it counters or interferes with the signal that normally prevents cAMP production. Additionally, caffeine increases the release of stored fat by prolonging the fat breakdown signal generated by adrenalin, clenbuterol, and similar drugs. This includes beta-receptor stimulation that exists from the normal sympathetic tone.

The newly released FFA (non-esterified free fatty acid) travels the bloodstream to enter active areas, such as the liver or exercising muscle, to be burned for energy (oxidative lipid disposal). If there is no need for additional energy (calories), then the FFA will return, through the bloodstream, to fat cells. The release of FFA from a fat cell, only to return to the fat cell to be stored is called non-oxidative lipid turnover or futile cycling. It reminds me of the old phrase “you’re just running in circles,” meaning a lot of activity that accomplishes nothing. Fat release without fat burning accomplishes nothing in regard to fat loss; the FFA

A group led by Acheson used a series of tests and measures to determine how much fat is released normally and after caffeine consumption.5 Through further evaluations, they determined the eventual fate of the released fat. The results showed that under the influence of caffeine (10 milligrams per kilogram of body fat), the amount of FFA released by fat cells increased by 130 percent. Simultaneously, the demand for calories increased, though only by 13 percent. For most people, that only translates to approximately 250 calories per day. As the amount of FFA released far exceeded the amount needed to meet the increased demand for calories, a great percentage of the released FFA was returned to the fat cell and stored as fat again. The authors

The process by which caffeine increases calorie burning is more complicated than the process by which it increases fat release. In humans, an increase in energy expenditure is usually due to an increase in activity, as a result of the greater metabolic demand of skeletal muscle. When skeletal muscle contracts and relaxes, it uses ATP (the energy molecule) at a much greater rate. The ATP needs of exercising muscle are met through an increased rate of calorie burning. Many believe that caffeine’s effect on skeletal muscle is solely due to an amplification of the effect of adrenaline. This is because the most easily recognized side effect of caffeine excess is the jitters. Increasing the sympathetic tone of the skeletal muscle increases the twitching of muscle, which is an increase in an activity requiring

Caffeine can have both positive and negative effects on energy use. One mechanism by which caffeine affects energy use is by increasing the levels of free calcium ions in the muscle cell interior. Calcium ions are tightly regulated and can trigger biological reactions, including muscle contractions. When calcium interacts with the actin-myosin heads of muscle fibers, it causes the muscle to contract. Caffeine causes free calcium levels to increase in the muscle cell by interacting with another receptor called the ryanodine receptor. Increasing the amount of free calcium present in the muscle cell at rest makes the muscle more likely to contract and do so with greater force when stimulated.

Caffeine has been noted to release stored fat, which in turn increases the proportion of fat burned as opposed to carbohydrates. This is one reason why caffeine is so effective at reducing body fat before morning cardio (before eating breakfast).

The researchers took the opportunity to perform additional tests, this time using caffeine in the presence of propranolol. Propranolol is a drug that blocks the beta receptors and prevents any adrenalin-like responses in the body. This drug is used to prevent people with heart disease from becoming excited, but it is also effective as a research tool in blocking the effect of naturally produced adrenalin-like hormones and neurotransmitters.

Caffeine doesn't seem to increase fat loss when it's present. In fact, the increase in energy expenditure that was previously recorded was also less, meaning fewer additional calories were burned. Thus, caffeine's fat-releasing effect is primarily dependent upon beta-adrenergic stimulation. This stimulation may be the result of exercise, drugs (e.g., clenbuterol), cold weather (shivering), or an excited state. Regardless of the cause, without an increase in sympathetic tone, caffeine will have little effect on fat loss. Acheson did note that even under the influence of propranolol, caffeine was able to increase energy expenditure slightly, possibly due to the entry of calcium into the muscle cell.

Caffeine is a popular, widely used drug with many performance-enhancing benefits. Additionally, it has been shown to be effective as a fat-burning agent, particularly when used in conjunction with other drugs or supplements that increase sympathetic tone. Caffeine increases fat loss through a number of pathways. It increases the fat-releasing effect of certain drugs by prolonging the cell signal, causing a greater amount of FFA to be released into the bloodstream. Caffeine again acts as a chemical companion to adrenalin-like hormones and drugs by increasing the activity of muscles, thereby increasing the number of calories burned. As a consequence of the high levels of FFA released, more fat calories are burned than would otherwise be available

Caffeine is a minor player when it comes to fat loss on its own. When used in conjunction with other fat-loss methods, however, it can help increase weight loss dramatically. The prevalence of caffeine in the global diet and its safety profile makes it a supplement to consider for any weight-loss program.