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Top Ten Nutrients That Support Fat Loss | Poliquin Article

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Top Ten Nutrients That Support Fat
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If You Could Only Do One Exercise:

Rules for Picking The Best Lifts

Top Ten Nutrients That Support Fat Loss

By Poliquin Editorial Staff
6/19/2013 11:54:30 AM
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Certain foods are packed with massive amounts of nutrients that help you achieve a lean and muscular
physique. Eating these superior foods wont save you from a poor diet or regular over eating, but they can give
that extra boost when trying to get lean, while feeling energized throughout the day.
Did you know that there are numerous plants and nutrients that can have a dramatic effect on fat loss? This list
only includes the most promising nutrients that support fat loss in multiple ways. I favor nutrients that can be
simply added to your diet rather than supplemented, although in certain cases it's worth it to use a more
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These fantastic nutrients can help you tighten up your efforts to get lean via the following mechanisms:
Decreased fat absorption
The fat you eat is not directly absorbed into the body unless it interacts with an enzyme called pancreatic
lipase. A number of nutrients inhibit pancreatic lipase, making the fat calories you've eaten irrelevant.
Suppressed food intake
Certain foods raise levels of the chemical transmitters and hormones that help you avoid sensations of hunger,
while enhancing energy and motivation. Distinct nutrients such as green tea control levels of serotonin, 5-HTP,
ghrelin, and dopamine to lead people to eat less.
Enhanced energy expenditure
Your body is capable of regulating the amount of calories burned for optimal body composition, assuming you're
not assaulting it with excess calories, chemicals, and processed foods. Fish oil, for example, is extremely
effective at increasing energy expenditure through something called uncoupling proteins.
Stimulating fat burning and "turning off" fat storage
Certain nutrients can inhibit the storage of fat. These tend to be antioxidant-rich nutrients that simply stop the
body from storing fat, while decreasing inflammation.

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Top Ten Nutrients That Support Fat Loss | Poliquin Article

All of these processes depend on those tried and true habits for fat loss: High-protein eatin', regular activity,
stress reduction, and the restriction of foods that stop fat loss in its tracks (fructose, refined grains, trans-fats).
Throw in high-intensity exercise and you have a formula for success.
#1: Fish Oil and CLA
The omega-3 fats from fish and conjugated linoleic acid from dairy and meat are superior fat loss nutrients. They
improve insulin sensitivity by building the outside layer of cells, which makes them more receptive to insulin.
They decrease inflammationCLA is a potent cancer fighting nutrientand have a stress reducing effect,
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Most compelling, fish oil and CLA stimulate thermogenesis, or the burning of calories, by enhancing the activity
of the uncoupling protein genes 1 and 3. Simply, the uncoupling proteins lead to excess calories to be burned
by raising body temperature. This is why "healthy" fats don't make you fat, but can make you lose fat.
Take Away: Get fish oil and CLA from cold water fish, wild meat, pastured meat, and whole fat dairy. Eat a
serving at each meal, supplementing with fish oil when necessary.
#2: Yerba Mate/Green Tea
If you're going to take one new habit from this list, let it be that you start getting some green tea in your diet.
Green tea and yerba mate come from different plants, but they both contain extremely high levels of the
catechin antioxidants that promote fat loss.
The catechins inhibit lipase, decreasing fat absorption, and can suppress food intake. They also enhance
energy expenditure via greater thermogenesis, improve liver function, promote the use of fat for fuel rather than
carbs, and lead to the death of fat cells (apoptosis).
An example of green tea at work is a study that had overweight women go on a diet for 4 weeks to lose weight.
Then for 8 weeks they strength trained and took 10 grams of green tea powder twice a day, losing nearly 10 kg
of body fat compared to a placebo group that lost only 3.2 kg of fat, indicating the benefit of green tea for
sustaining metabolism as body weight is reduced.
Take Away: Drink tea dailyavoid adding sweeteners or milk. Watch out for bleached tea bags. Quality green
tea supplements are pricey, but can provide a profound metabolic boost, making them worth the investment.
#3: Hot Peppers
Hot red peppers have been rumored to have fat loss properties for years due to the bioactive compound
capsaicin. Simply cooking with whole hot pepper or adding hot pepper extract or spice to food may decrease
hunger and reduce energy intake, while stimulating fat burning and overall calorie burning in the body.
For example, in one study that had 24 individuals drink tomato juice containing 0.9 g of red pepper before a
meal led them to eat less, while feeling more satisfied with the meal.
Take Away: Add hot peppers to salad dressing, veggie or meat dishes, or eggspeppers are a hot thing in
Paleo cooking. If spicy food is not your thing, capsaicin is available in supplement form.
#4: Pomegranate
The pomegranate is impressively high in rare antioxidants, ellagic and tannic acids, that have multiple fat loss
effects. These antioxidants inhibit fat absorption and suppress energy intake. The pomegranate has also been
shown to improve cardiovascular health when on a high fat diet and it may have anti-tumor properties for cancer
fighting.
Take Away: Eat and cook with pomegranates whenever they are available. People with heart disease or
metabolic problems could benefit from a pomegranate extract or pure, organic pomegranate juice that is not
sweetened or blended with other juices.
#5: The Meat Nutrients: Glycine, Glutamine, Carnitine
Meat, eggs, and some dairy foods, such as whey protein, provide superior nutrients to aid fat loss, prevent food
cravings, and maintain brain concentration. Carnitine is a potent fat burner because it is responsible for the
transport of fats into the cells to be used for energy in the body. It works best when ingested with the omega-3
fats to ensure that it loads in the muscles.
Glutamine and glycine are both amino acids that raise your natural antioxidant levels, promote tissue repair and
muscle building, thereby raising metabolism, while eliminating food cravingsgood stuff!
Take Away: Get these three from pastured or wild meat. Strategically boosting intake can help, depending on
training phase, the strength of your immune system, or cravings: Use carnitine capsules during high-intensity
training phases such as with sprint intervals; go for glutamine if you are suffering cravings or difficulty sticking
with your eating plan; use glycine powder in your post-workout shake to improve tissue repair and raise
immunity if you feel burnt out.
#6: Seeds: Sesame, Cumin, Chia, Pumpkin, Flax, Watermelon
Seeds are jam packed with an array of nutrients that support leanness and energy, but the irresistible thing
about seeds is how the improve hormone levels. Seeds tend to be high in zinc, boosting testosterone

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production. They also contain compounds that promote the elimination of estrogens from the body.
Supplementation with flax seeds, for example, has even been shown to decrease belly fat gain on a high-fat,
high fructose diet.
Take Away: Use seeds mashed into tahini, ground into a protein shake, or mixed into a buttery paste--they
make any meal more delicious, especially this Flank Steak recipe.
#7: The Spice Bundle: Cinnamon, Black Pepper & Turmeric
All three of these are anti-inflammatory and there's promising, if peripheral, evidence that cinnamon, black
pepper, turmeric, and various other spices support fat loss.
For example, curcumin improves enzyme activity involved in fat burning and supports the death of fat cells, even
when on a high-fat diet. Black pepper raises metabolism by stimulating central nervous system and hormone
activity. Cinnamon improves insulin sensitivity and makes just about any dish or protein drink more delicious.
Take Away: You can get extra antioxidant benefits from these spices by supplementing, and make it a habit to
use a few sprinkles of cinnamon, black pepper, or turmeric at every meal.
#8: Fenugreek
Fenugreek is a spice that deserves special attention because it is so effective at improving insulin health and
energy use, while increasing free testosterone when combined with strength training. A study of young men
showed that supplementing with 500 mg a day while training for 8 weeks led to significantly greater
improvements in strength, fat loss, muscle gain, and free testosterone over a placebo group.
Take Away: Fenugreek can be used in place of carbs when you need an insulin boost, such as when loading
creatine or carnitine into the muscle. It also helps "grab" sugar from your blood to burn for fuel or store as
glycogen so it doesn't get stored as fat. Get this benefit in supplement form, but you can also bake with it too:
One study showed that bread baked with fenugreek produced better insulin response and glucose tolerance
compared to regular bread.
#9: Ginger
Ginger improves thermogenesis just like hot peppers, and studies report that cooking with ginger can decrease
appetite.
Take Away: Ginger is antioxidant-rich, easy to find in the grocery store, and can make a delicious difference
when cooked with collards, kale, organic tempeh, or pureed with post-workout protein drinks.
#10: Garlic
Garlic has been found to increase calorie use in the body by raising the ratio of brown fat to white fat (brown fat
is considered good, white is very bad).
Animal studies show garlic is particularly effective in reducing fat gain from a high-fat diet that is intended to
cause obesity. Along with being called an anti-obesity food by scientists, garlic improves blood flow, decreasing
risk of heart disease by lowering triglycerides, cholesterol, and reducing plaque in the arteries.
Take Away: Use fresh garlic with all meals. Consider trying raw garlic to get a larger dose of active compounds
during fat loss.

References
Ahmadi, N., et al. Aged Garlic Extract With Supplement is Associated with Increase in Brown Adipose,
Decrease in White Adipose and Predict Lack of Progression in Coronary Atherosclerosis. International Journal
of Cardiology. 2013. Published Ahead of Print.
Kim, M., et al. Effect of Garlic on High-Fat Induced Obesity. Acta Biologica Hung. 2011. 62(3), 244-254.
Cardoso, G., et al. The Effects of Green Tea Consumption and Resistance Training on Body Composition and
Resting Metabolic Rate in Overweight and Obese Women. 2013. 16(2), 120-127.
Pekala, J., Patkowska-Sokola, B., et al. L-CarnitineMetabolic Functions and Meaning in Humans Life.
Current Drug Metabolism. May 2011. Published Ahead of Print.
Sahlin, Kent. Boosting Fat Burning with Carnitine: An Old Friend Comes Out From the Shadow. The Journal of
Physiology. 2011. 589(7), 1509-1510.
Malaguernera, M., Bella, R., et al. Acetyl-L-Carnitine Reduces Depression and Improves Quality of Life in
Patients with Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. June 2011. 46(6),
750-759.
Radler, U., Stangle, H., et al. A Combination of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Polyphenols, and L-Carnitine
Reduces the Plasma Lipid Levels and Increases the Expression of Genes Involved in Fatty Acid Oxidation in
Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and HepG2 Cells. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2011. 58,
133-140.

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Poole, C., et al. The Effects of a Commercially Available Botanical Supplement on Strength, Body
Composition, Power Output, and Hormonal Profiles in Resistance-Trained Males. 2010. Journal of the
International Society of Sports Nutrition. 7(34).
Li, J., et al. Anti-Obesity Effects of CLA, DHA, and EPA. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 2008. 52,
631-645.
Han, Y., et al. The Extract of Cinnamomum Cassia Twigs Inhibits Adipocyte Differentiation Via Activation of the
Insulin Signaling Pathway in Preadipocytes. Pharmaceutical Biology. 2013. Published Ahead of Print.
Wilborn, C., et al. Effects of a Purported Aromatase and 5 Reductase on Hormone Profiles in college-Age Men.
International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2010. 20, 457-465.
Taylor, L., et al. Effects of Combined Creatine Plus Fenugreek Extract Vs. Creatine Plus Carbohydrate
Supplementation on Resistance Training Adaptations. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 2011. 10, 254260.
Magistrelli, A., et al. Effect of Ground Cinnamon on Postprandial Blood Glucose Concentration in Normal
Weight and Obese Adults. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2012. 112(11), 1806-1809.
Kim, K., et al. Food Components with Anti-Obesity Effect. Annual Review of Food Science and Technology.
2011. 2, 237-257.
Yun, Jong Won. Possible Anti-Obesity Therapeutics From Nature. Phytochemistry. 2010. 71, 1625-1641.

Copyright 2013

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