Whats the best fat burning suppliment?

[gsxr60097]

I am looking to take a SAFE suppliment to help lose stubborn body fat. If you look at my profile I gained alot of body fat in about 4 months. I know alot of it was thinking I could eat anything while weight training. I am now watching what I eat and do some cardio. I want my six pack back again. So are there any suppliments to compliment my goal of losing body fat. Thanks.

[ElMariachi]

I am looking to take a SAFE suppliment to help lose stubborn body fat. If you look at my profile I gained alot of body fat in about 4 months. I know alot of it was thinking I could eat anything while weight training. I am now watching what I eat and do some cardio. I want my six pack back again. So are there any suppliments to compliment my goal of losing body fat. Thanks.

Fish oil. Seriously. I've seen some amazing results from using fish oil. Its not a huge gimmicky name, but the stuff works, and has a myriad of other health benefits. I would say to go with something simple like that, then maybe throw in some 7-Keto-DHEA from NOW. These are two simple compounds that work well and aren't extremely pricy. With fish oil, you can dose anywhere from 2-5 grams p/day. Green tea extract is another great compound with a lot of other associated health benefits, especially its effects as a highly potent antioxidant.

[laxer22]

Fish oil. Seriously. I've seen some amazing results from using fish oil. Its not a huge gimmicky name, but the stuff works, and has a myriad of other health benefits. I would say to go with something simple like that, then maybe throw in some 7-Keto-DHEA from NOW. These are two simple compounds that work well and aren't extremely pricy. With fish oil, you can dose anywhere from 2-5 grams p/day. Green tea extract is another great compound with a lot of other associated health benefits, especially its effects as a highly potent antioxidant.

what type of fish oil in particular. Ive had some cod liver oil caps for a while but have been afraid to use them because I heard that unless they get it from the best sources possible it can have some pretty harmful effects in the long term.

[ElMariachi]

what type of fish oil in particular. Ive had some cod liver oil caps for a while but have been afraid to use them because I heard that unless they get it from the best sources possible it can have some pretty harmful effects in the long term.

I don't think cod liver is as effective as fish oil and there are issues with toxicity, but using it for a little while should not be problematic. I've used cod liver oil and salmon oil before. With fish oil, just stick with a quality company. I personally use liquid NOW and Barlean's fish oils, but there are many brands to choose from. NOW is a very good brand, as is Health from the Sea, Barleans, Olympian Labs, Carlsons, KAL, Source Naturals....etc.


Just make sure if you buy the capsules, that they are enteric coated so you can avoid the whole fish burps issue. If you are going for a liquid, look for something flavored. Barleans is pricy, but their liquid fish oil is damn delicious, the best that I have ever tasted, period.

[gsxr60097]

How does fish oil help burn fat?

[FGCUCody]

I have been cutting for a while and here is the list of supps i have used in order of effectiveness:
1. Hydroxycut
2. Red Acid Gen2
3. NxLabs Ripped System (sucks waste of money)

[ElMariachi]

How does fish oil help burn fat?

Glad you asked that.

Fish Oil and Fat Loss

Okay, let's get down to what you've been waiting for ? fat loss. If you've been around the fitness game for a while, then I'm sure you can appreciate the irony here. The compounds that have shown the best results in scientific studies regarding fat loss are CLA and now EPA/DHA, all three being fats!

Fats that make you fit are a far cry from the low fat/anti-fat movement that infected bodybuilders' nutritional plans in the 80's and 90's. The research regarding fish oil and weight loss is new and starting to gain ground. Clinical trials have shown that it works, and the more hardcore cell and molecular biology studies have shown potential mechanisms that explain why it works.


Fish Oil, No Exercise, and Weight Loss

Let's look at some of the studies that have recently displayed the effectiveness of fish oil in helping shed those nasty pounds. The first one comes from the International Journal of Obesity where they took 324 overweight and obese men and women and put them on a reduced calorie diet. (3) These people then received either nothing, fatty fish, lean fish, or fish oil capsules.

I should mention that the diets they were put on weren't very conducive to weight loss. Participants were consuming 50% of their calories from carbohydrates and only 20% of their calories from protein. They also weren't exercising ? it was like the researchers were setting them up to fail!

Despite the odds, the men lost an average of 14 pounds, and the men that ate fish or took fish oil lost an extra 2 pounds. There was an added weight loss advantage even in the group of men that ate cod (non-fatty fish). However, the driving force behind this stumped the researchers.

One of the first studies to show the fat loss effects of fish oil was published back in 1997. The participants were put on a diet containing 50% calories from carbohydrates. Instead of supplementing with fish oil the whole time, 12 weeks into the study some of the participants were asked to replaced 6 grams of fat in their diet with 6 grams of fish oil for the remaining three weeks. (4)

The people who replaced fats in their diet with fish oil lost 2 pounds over three weeks while the non-fish oil group lost 0.7 pounds. That may not seem like a lot at first but you need to consider that these people didn't do anything different except for replacing fat in their diet with fish oil ? they didn't exercise and they were on a high carbohydrate diet.

What's the take-home message here? These two studies suggest that even when people are put on high carbohydrate diets, fish oil supplementation can increase fat loss and fat oxidation (especially in men).


Fish Oil, Exercise, and Abs

The most popular fish oil and weight loss study as of late was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (5) Unlike the previous two studies we've looked at, this study used a fish oil supplement that contained high levels of DHA (much like Flameout).

In this all-male study, the participants were given either sunflower oil or DHA-rich fish oil. Some were instructed to exercise while others were not. The exercise component was walking at 75% of their maximum heart rate for 45 minutes, three times a week.

Regardless of the less-than-optimal program design, the fish oil and exercise people experienced decreases in body mass greater than any of the other groups combined. The authors noted, "Both FO supplementation and regular aerobic exercise reduced fat mass."

And here's some unpublished/unreleased info regarding this study, a T-Nation exclusive. One variable that the researchers measured but haven't yet reported on was heart rate. The fish oil group experienced a significant reduction in resting heart rate compared to the others not receiving fish oil.

Because their exercise goals were heart rate oriented (75% max heart rate), the fish oil group had to work harder to achieve their exercise goal. This is potentially one of the reasons that the fish oil group lost more weight.

How fish oil effects resting heart rate is also not fully understood; however, we know from cardiovascular research that increased consumption of EPA/DHA can change the electro-chemistry of your heart. This is why fish oil can help prevent sudden death from heart attacks. This is also probably the reason why fish oil can modulate resting heart rate.

Another way that fish oil mediates fat loss is through substrate utilization, as fish oil has been previously shown to increase fat utilization during exercise. Because we also saw a fat loss effect of fish oil independent of exercise in the first two studies, it looks like there are several mechanisms at work to boost fat loss ? some exercise related, some not.


Ways That Fish Oil Can Work

The exact mechanism in which fish oil potentates fat loss isn't completely understood. There seems to be both exercise and non-exercise pathways. Here are some potential ways that fish oil can help boost fat burning:

? DHA has been shown to prevent the conversion of pre-adipocytes to adipocytes and mediate pre-adipocyte death (kill 'em before they become immortal fat cells). (6)

? Fish oil has the ability to increase the clearance of chylomicrons and fats following a meal. This potentially can have a positive effect on substrate utilization. (7)

? Fish oil can "artificially" decrease heart rate thus increasing the level of exertion needed to reach desired intensity.

? Fish oil upregulates mitochondrial machinery and increases oxidation of fats within fat cells. (8, 9)

You may be wondering why improving insulin sensitivity isn't on the list? If you examine the broad range of studies that look at this, you'd see that there doesn't seem to be much of an effect (if any), especially in healthy people. Potentially there may be an insulin sensitizing effect in people with type II diabetes.

[gsxr60097]

So how much fish oil per day should one use?

[emchowdhury]

Fish oil Combined with CLA is more effective. you get lean muscle mass