Written by: Joel Evan, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We've all dreamt, "I wish there were a magic weight loss pill I could take..." And we've all been bombarded by the fake advertisements, gimmicks, and fads out there that have only left us disappointed and untrustworthy of those companies. At the end of the day, we know that no one permanently loses weight without some level of mastery and self-discipline. However, the supplements that I've listed today are well researched and would be a great addition to anyone's supplement protocol.
BAIBA
BAIBA is a myokine, also referred to as an "exercise factor" or "exercise mimetic." Researchers noticed that BAIBA levels increased during exercise and sends a chain reaction of signals to the body to release fat. The benefits from BAIBA are similar to those of regular exercise, such as increased glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation. It can also facilitate the "browning" of fat tissue, leading to increased metabolic rate and fat burning. The question is, "Can we just supplement with BAIBA without exercise and get the same effects?" The answer is yes. A study in 2014 showed BAIBA supplementation activated many of the same "thermogenic programs" as exercise itself does. Look for MitoBurn, the branded version of BAIBA. A recommended dosage is about 750-2000 mg pre-workout.
Grains of Paradise (GOP)
Grains of Paradise (GOP) is also known as melegueta pepper. It is a member of the ginger and turmeric family. GOP has been shown to activate brown adipose tissue (BAT), a unique type of fat tissue that burns extra calories to generate heat. Activating BAT can help increase metabolic rate, fat burning, and glucose disposal. Clinical trials have shown that GOP reduces white fatty tissue at the cellular level. This is to say that GOP actually cuts down the number of cells in white adipose tissue so that there is not as much space to store fats. By doing this, GOP transforms white adipose tissue into brown adipose tissue. GOP is changing how your body stores fat and reduces the available space for your body to retain fat. This is a great additional supplement in your arsenal to burn fat and keep the weight off. Look for CaloriBurn GP, the branded version of GOP. The recommended dosage is 4-80 mg twice a day.
Dihydroberberine (DHB)
One of the hallmarks of longevity and anti-aging is reducing your overall toxic load, specifically reducing oxidative stress and free radicals through the process of glycation. One of the biggest promoters of glycation, disease, and general malaise is type-2 diabetes. Anti-glycation is crucial in lowering Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs), decreasing blood glucose/HgbA1c, increasing AMPK, reducing triglycerides and inflammation, and providing positive hermetic stress to mitochondria.
Human and animal research suggests that 1500mg of berberine, taken in three doses of 500mg each, is equally effective as taking 1500mg of metformin or 4mg glibenclamide, two pharmaceuticals for treating type-2 diabetes. Effectiveness was measured by how well the drugs reduced biomarkers of type-2 diabetes. Some evidence suggests that it can lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in people with type-2 diabetes and possibly lead to a slight increase in HDL cholesterol. When it comes to battling aging and disease and promoting wellness, supplementing with DHB is a no-brainer. DHB is the more bioavailable version. The recommended dosage is 150 mg twice a day.
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are essential plant compounds found in many natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, tea, coffee, and wine. They give fruits and vegetables vibrant colors and determine their flavor and aroma. In addition, they have excellent antioxidant properties with anti-aging benefits such as stimulating autophagy (recycling and cleaning of cells) and boost cognitive performance. They also fight free radicals that can enter your body every day if you're exposed to air pollution, cigarette smoke, or significant amounts of alcohol.
So what do polyphenols have to do with weight loss? When I interviewed master supplement formulator and best-selling author of The Energy Formula, Shawn Wells, what supplement he would use to support weight loss, he listed nothing but polyphenol. Some of Shawn's favorites are fisetin, quercetin, EGCG (found in green tea), Reservatrol, and Ceylon cinnamon. The reason being is that your gut buddies absolutely love polyphenols, and they also reduce anti-glycation.
A recent study from the University of Chicago Medical Center confirms this essential role of gut microbes in weight management. When researchers analyzed the gut bugs that lived in the upper gastrointestinal tract, they found an important clue as to why we gain weight as we age. They discovered that certain strains of bacteria could help you rapidly digest and absorb high-fat foods. The scary thing is these bacteria can multiply to keep up with the job. So, the more fat present, the more of these bugs you will have. If you eat a standard Western diet, you will gain more and more of these bacteria over time. The result is that they quickly and efficiently digest all that fat and send it right back into your body.
On the other hand, polyphenols can help alter your gut bacteria and help support a healthy environment suitable for losing weight. They can modulate inflammatory, oxidative, and cell proliferative processes responsible for causing several metabolic disorders, including obesity (Kim et al., 2013). Other studies show that polyphenols, in particular, extracted from plants effectively prevent diet-induced obesity (Yun, 2010). Polyphenols have been linked to suppressing food intake, elevated fat burning, preventing fatty acid oxidation, and inhibiting new fat cells' growth. Inhibiting the formation of new fat cells and killing off old fat cells are some of the most important contributors in the management of obesity (Wang et al., 2014). There's good research showing polyphenols are helpful for obesity and weight management. My favorite polyphenol-rich foods are chlorella, spirulina, turmeric, reishi, berries, curcumin, fisetin, quercetin, EGCG, and Reservatrol and Ceylon cinnamon.
Joel Evans, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Joel Evan is a health coach and integrative health practitioner that helps his clients get to the root cause of their issues so that they can start living the best version of themselves. After suffering from his own health issues as a young child such as allergies and an abnormal bone growth, and then watching his children suffer from gut issues and an imbalanced immune system, Joel has made it his mission to develop strategies and protocols that can rebalance the body so that his clients can be more vibrant, more joyful, and more confident so they can go out and crush their goals and impact the world in a bigger way. Joel is also a Neufit electric stim physical therapist and has helped several clients get out of chronic pain, and recover from surgery and neurological disorders. Joel is also the host of "The Hacked Life" podcast where he's had the chance to sit down with some of the leading health experts in the world, such as Dave Asprey, Dr Mindy Pelz, and Dr John Jaquish. His motto: "Live Healthy, Live Happy."
