This is the second post of my two part series (you can read the first part here), about dietary supplements.
Ephedrine
Ephedrine, also known as “Ephedrine HCL”, is the synthetic form of a compound originating from a shrub, the Ephedra Sinica.
The first thing you feel after taking Ephedrine is an increase of your cardiac pulse.
Ephedrine is not only dangerous, it is also lethal in high doses. Ephedrine is often combined with caffeine or Yohimbine.
Many athletes use it, even if it has many side-effects such as:
- Increase in blood pressure
- Excessive sweating
- Insomnia
etc…
Source
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa92.htm
Oleoylethanolamide
Oleoylethanolamide, which belongs to the endocannabinoids family, enhances satiety, making weight loss easier.
Oleoylethanolamide is a fatty acid synthesized into the intestines, and possesses a similar modus operandi to endocannabinoids.
But, interesting fact, oleoylethanolamide doesn’t bind to cannabinoid receptors.
As are some other dietary supplements, oleoylethanolamide is a PPAR-Alpha receptor antagonist
Source
http://goo.gl/MHztlYerba Mate
Also called “Ilex paraguariensis”. This compound contains mateine, an alkaloid that belongs to the xanthines family, which you can find in caffeine, theobromine or even theophylline. These three compounds all seem to increase one’s basal metabolic rate.
While its effects haven’t been proven yet, some people couple it with caffeine in order to enhance lipid oxidation or increase thermogenesis.
Source
http://fat-burners.realsolutionsmag.com/fat-burner-Yerba-Mate.html
Chitosan
Chitosan is often added to weird fat burners; it’s a polysaccharide.
This long-chain polymer is mostly found in the exoskeletons of arthropods (crabs, shrimps and langoustes).
The dude that came up with the idea of using arthropod exoskeletons was probably staring at his beer belly while at the beach.
This supplement binds to lipids within the intestines and reduces their absorption by the digestive system- in other words, it simply reduces food bioavailability. Due to this, chitosan can provoke constipation.
Source
http://www.trulyhuge.com/chitosan-benefits.html
Plantago Psyllium
Psyllium is a water soluble fiber, extracted from a plant, the “Plantago Ovata”. Not too many supplements contain it in its pure form, but it is often included in some fat burners.
Source
- http://www.livestrong.com/psyllium/
- http://www.livestrong.com/article/284975-psyllium-fiber-weight-loss/
Olestra
This supplement is often used as a replacement for aspartame. Olestra is synthesized from a sucrose molecule, as it can bond with six to eight fatty acids.
That means olestra presents the same structure and properties as lipids, but it cannot be absorbed by the intestinal wall due to its radial arrangement that is too large.
So, it ends up in poop as is. Given its molecular structure, I don’t recommend it at all.
Source
Octopamine (!)
Octopamine is a beta 3 adrenergic receptor agonist. It stimulates the cycle of adenosine monophosphate production, and this cycle triggers hormone-sensitive lipase, an enzyme..
This enzyme is responsible for lipolysis, but also affects thermogenesis and insulin sensitivity.
The problem with octopamine, well not octopamine per se, is the way beta 3 adrenergic receptors work. We find them not only inside skeletal muscle, but also in white adipose tissue.
Both play a key role in glucose homeostasis (performed by glucagon and insulin) and its complicated to distinguish B3 agonists against B1 and B3 agonists, which causes a lot of problems ahead…
Even today, we don’t know for sure that octopamine is not a B1 and B2 receptor agonist as well.
Source
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/octo.htm
There we are! Again, this article is for informational purposes only. Most of the stuff here is either dangerous of inefficient.
Fish oil is one of the rarest to be beneficial to one’s health. Don’t be too naive, the real stuff is as dangerous as illegal.