INGREDIENTS

Green tea and Camellia Sinensis Leaf

Green tea is made from the dried leaves of evergreen shrub Camellia sinensis. Green tea is a minimally processed variety of tea. First it is withered and then dried immediately after picking to stop oxidation. Much has been said about the antioxidant properties of green tea compounds, including catechins and polyphenols. Tea extracts formulated for high-polyphenol content contain the greatest amounts of beneficial substances because they are highly concentrated formulations.

Various studies have estimated the effect of green tea pills on weight loss (GTE) and weight maintenance of overweight individuals and those of average weight. (Shixian Q et al. J Med Food. 2006; Wang X et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2001; Cooper R, et al. J Altern Complement Med. 2005; Murase T et al. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002; Sayama K. In Vivo. 2000). The physiological effects of green tea for weight loss are in fact similar to ephedra, which is a popular product for treating obesity. Green tea increases the 24 hour energy expenditure, fat oxidation and thermogenesis.

Thermogenesis is a process of generating energy at the cellular level, plays an important role in the correct utilization of food and nutrients. The fat stored by body can also be utilized by thermogenesis and it will result in decrease of the total fat content of the body. The research showed that the weight loss associated with usage of green tea is due to an increase in thermogenesis. This is attributed to the catechins, particularly epigallocatechin gallate, which also has the thermogenic merits of caffeine, which is found in green tea. (Shixian et al . J Med Food. 2006). Green tea extract subdues the breakdown of Norepinephrine, which is an important hormone responsible for the breakdown of fat.

Catechins are decreasing the synthesis of fatty acids and reducing the cholesterol levels in the blood. (Shixian et al . J Med Food. 2006; Cooper R, et al. J Altern Complement Med. 2005; Murase T et al. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002). Japan scientists found out that green tea by inhibiting lipid metabolism, also prevents fat accumulation in the body and decreases leptin levels, which are all tied to obesity(Sayama K in In Vivo, 2000). Green tea may also reduce the digestibility of dietary fats via inhibition of enzymes necessary for fat digestion. There is no limited dose for green tea or its extract, one cup of tea contains approximately 80-100 mg of polyphenols and 50 mg of caffeine.

Biotin

Biotin belongs to the vitamin B-complex family. It has a great significance in the metabolic processes connected with carbohydrates and fats. It supplies energy, protects health of hair, crucial for development and for the stability of the central nervous system. Recent studies, has shown it to have effects that provide energy utilization and suppress insulin resistance, the two major factors in weight gain and obesity. (Zhang et al. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. 1996, Reddi et al . Life Sciences. 1998. Reddi et al in Life Sciences, 1998).

In human body, its task is to enhance the glucose tolerance, and the metabolism of glucose. (Koutsikos et al . Renal Failure, 1996). Insulin resistance results in hyperinsulinism (high levels of insulin in the blood). Hyperinsulinism, contributes to increase in fat synthesis in adipocytes and is one of the major reasons for obesity. Moreover, resistance to insulin also has an effect on the efficiency of thermogenesis connected with insulin, which results in the weight gain.

Biotin enhances the quality of insulin action and can therefore help to lose weight. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for biotin is 300 micrograms. No side effects of biotin have been reported at doses even as big as 10 mg per day. Liver, kidney, molasses, peas, avocado and green leafy vegetables contain very big amounts of with this vitamin.

L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine is an amino acid, necessary for fatty acid oxidation, mitochondrial function and energy generation in the cells. It transfers fat into the mitochondria and this was takes part in fat metabolism. It raises the level of fatty-acid oxidation and glucose utilization. In a clinical tests of healthy individuals, oral l-carnitine resulted a decrease of the total fat mass, increased the muscle mass and had a positive effect on fatigue and serum lipids. It promoted weight loss without altering the fat to lean body mass ratio. (Kelly GS. Altern Med Rev. 1998). Meat and dairy products contain L-Carnitine or it can be created from other amino acids (lysine and methionine) in the liver and kidney. It is a not essential amino acid, so, there is no RDA values for it. Nevertheless, doses as big as 2-6 gms/day have been used for different conditions. Usage of oral supplements may be prescribed to deal with nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, but no side effects have been reported.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) also referred to as thioctic acid is a natural antioxidant that has a significant role in energy reactions in the body and also promotes utilization of glucose.

Studies have shown that ALA decreases body weight and stops development of diabetes in diabetes prone rats by enhancing the insulin sensitivity.( Lee et al . Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005). ALA lessens the insulin resistance in them by an anti-oxidative mechanism. (Bitar MS et al in Horm Metab Res. 2004). It has been proven that ALA-induced enhancement of insulin sensitivity is promoted by an enzyme called AMPK and decreased triglyceride accumulation in skeletal muscle. It has a result on the hypothalamus and suppresses the food intake while increasing the energy expenditure. This mechanism also promotes significant anti-obesity effect. (Kim MS in Nature Med 2004). There are no limits regarding the daily dose of ALA which can be found in spinach, broccoli, beef and kidney.

R-Lipoic acid

R-lipoic acid (RLA) is the naturally occurring bioactive form of lipoic acid. S-lipoic acid (SLA) is also a form of lipoic acid that is synthesized while lipoic acid is being produced. SLA is not as effective as RLA, and at high doses it may subdue mitochondrial metabolism.

RLA is a strong antioxidant and also reduces blood sugars as it is a mimic of insulin. It is a reason of significant increase in the insulin sensitivity and metabolic rates and it lowers the fat gain. (Jacob S et al . Free Rad Biol Med. 1999, Moines H et al . Arch Biochem Biophys. 2002). It also lowers the level of serum lactate and pyruvate in diabetic patients, enhances the glucose uptake by cells. ( Korotchkina et al . Free Radical Res. 2004).

Piper Nigrum and Bioperine

Piper nigrum is usually referred to as black pepper, it has long been promoted for various complaints as an active ingredient in some Ayurvedic preparations. It also is important for weight loss. Two of its ingredients; bioperine and piperine are highly effective. It was recently studied and very interesting results are found. Several mechanisms are advocated to be the result of the weight loss.

Piperine is the reason of decrease of the total lipid content in the rat testes by suppression of enzymes necessary for fat synthesis. (MaliniT et al. Biochem Mol Biol Int. 1999).

Bioperine, improves thermogenesis and thus increases the energy expenditure.

A research has shown that alkamides taken apart from the fruit of piper nigrum subdue an enzyme called diacylglycerol acyltransferase. That suppression has emerged as a therapeutic target in the treating of obesity. (Lee SW et al in J Agric Food Chem. 2006) It is also proven to impove the absorption of nutrients in the intestine, which is necessary for keeping a healthy metabolic state.

References

1.     Kelly GS. L-Carnitine: therapeutic applications of a conditionally essential amino acid. Altern Med Rev. 1998 Oct;3(5):345-60.
2.     Lee WJ, Song KH, Koh EH, Won JC, Kim HS, Park HS, Kim MS, Kim SW, Lee KU, Park JY. Alpha-lipoic acid increases insulin sensitivity by activating AMPK in skeletal muscle. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005;332(3):885-887
3.     Shixian Q, VanCrey B, Shi J, Kakuda Y, Jiang Y. Green tea extract thermogenesis-induced weight loss by epigallocatechin gallate inhibition of catechol-O-methyltransferase. J Med Food. 2006;9(4):451-8
4.     Malini T, Arunakaran J, Aruldhas MM, Govindarajulu P. Effects of piperine on the lipid composition and enzymes of the pyruvate-malate cycle in the testis of the rat in vivo. Biochem Mol Biol Int. 1999;47(3):537-45
5.     Lee SW,Rho MC, Park HR ,et al .Inhibition of diacylglycerol acyltransferase by alkamides isolated from the fruits of Piper longum and Piper nigrum. J Agric Food Chem. 2006;54(26):9759-63
6.     Bitar MS, Wahid S, Pilcher CW,Al-Saleh E, Al-Mulla F. Alpha-lipoic acid mitigates insulin resistance in Goto-Kakizaki rats. Horm Metab Res. 2004;36(8):542-9..
7.     Reddi A.; DeAngelis B.; Frank O.; Lasker N.; Bakura H. Biotin supplementation improves glucose and insulin tolerances in genetically   diabetic KK mice. LIFE SCI. 1988, 42(13):1323-1330
8.     Zhang H.; Osada K.; Maebashi M.,Ito M., Komai M., Furukawa Yand H. ZhangA high biotin diet improves the impaired glucose tolerance of long-term spontaneously hyperglycemic rats with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology (Japan).1996;42(6):517-526
9.     O'Meara S, Riemsma R, Shirran L, Mather L, ter Riet G. A rapid and systematic review of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of orlistat in the management of obesity. Health Technol Assess. 2001; 5(18):1-81.
10.   Sayama K et al. Effects of green tea on growth, food utilization and lipid metabolism in mice. In Vivo 2000; 14(4):481-4.
11.   Wang X et al. "Green tea epigallocatechin gallate: a natural inhibitor of fatty-acid synthase." Biochem Biophys Res Commun2001;288: 1200-1208
12.   Cooper R, Moore DJ and Morre DM. medicinal beneifits of green tea:Part I. review of non-cancer benefits. J Altern Complement Med. 2005;11(3):521-52822.
13.   Murase T et al. "Beneficial effects of tea catechins on diet-induced obesity: stimulation of lipid catabolism in the liver. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 26, 11:1459-64, 2002.
14.   Koutsikos D.; Fourtounas C.; Kapetanaki A., et al .Oral glucose tolerance test after high-dose i.v. biotin administration in normoglucemic hemodialysis patients. Renal Failure. 1996;18(1):131-137
15.   Kim MS, Park JY, Namkoong C et al. Anti-obesity effects of alpha-lipoic acid mediated by suppressionof hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase. Nat Med. 2004;10(7):727-33
16.   Jacob S, Rues P, Hermann R. Oral administration of RAC-alpha-lipoic acid modulates insulin sensitivity in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus: a placebo-controlled pilot trial. Free Rad Biol Med. 1999;27(3-4):309-14
17.   Moines H, Trios O, Park YC, Chow KJ, Packer L R-alpha-Lipoic Acid Action on Cell Redox Status, the Insulin Receptor, and Glucose Uptake in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2002;15:397(2): 384-91.
18.   Korotchkina LG, Sidhu S and Patel MS. R-lipoic acid inhibits mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase. Free Radical Res. 2004;38:1083-1092
19.   WHO. Available on. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html Accessed on 10/02/07
20.   CDC. Available at. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/faq.htm#doing Accessed on 10/02/07
21.   Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. September 1998.
22.   National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Available at. http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/PDFs/stat904z.pdf Accessed on 10/02/2007.

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