What Are Thermogenic Enhancing Agents?

The use of dietary supplements is on the increase. They are now taken nearly as frequently as multivitamins and are generally used in an attempt to control weight and improve energy levels. Most claim they will speed up metabolism, increase metabolic rate and utilize stored body fat. This is because they include thermogenic enhancing agents.

Function

• Thermogenesis is the natural production of heat within the body. Thermogenesis happens when we exercise, when we eat or when we are cold, and is controlled by the hypothalamus gland. Thermogenic enhancing agents increase thermogenic function, causing the body to burn more calories. This heightens energy levels and promotes physical activity. Thermogenic enhancing agents also suppress appetite and encourage the body to use stored fat, so can increase the effectiveness of a low-calorie diet.

Advantages

• Thermogenic enhancing agents have several advantages over other dietary aids. Human growth hormone (hGH) is often used to treat obese patients. It accelerates metabolism and absorption of protein, but prolonged use can cause mellitus, which is a type of diabetes. High fat, high protein diets induce ketosis, which, though effective for weight loss, can cause both nausea and lethargy. Gastric band surgery reduces the size of the stomach, but carries many risks,including vomiting, electrolyte imbalance and obstructions.

Types

• Two of the most common ingredients in thermogenic enhancing agents are caffeine and ephedrine. Both give feelings of being focused and alert and both suppress appetite. Other thermogenic enhancers include St John's Wort, (Hypericum perforatum), ephedra and green tea. J R Hoffman of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, claims that a combination of thermogenic enhancing agents gives better results than any single supplement. Award-winning herbalist Bruce Burnett claims that hot red peppers can increase metabolism by as much as 25 percent.

Warning

• According to journalist Kathleen Doheny, San Francisco doctors have reported many cases of high blood pressure, heart palpitations, rapid heart rate, stroke and seizures, caused by overuse of thermogenic enhancing agents which contain ephedra. Indeed, the Federal Drug Administration banned ephedrine alkaloids in supplements in 2004. Varro Tyler, PhD, of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind, says "many people's health histories makes (thermogenic enhancing agents) risky to take" and stresses the importance of taking advice from a health care professional before embarking on a course of any thermogenic enhancing agents.