Plants That Speed Up Metabolism

Plants process powerful compounds that have been utilized by early civilizations for thousands of years for medicinal purposes. Nutritional science is ever-changing and shedding light on the thermogenic properties in certain plants. Thermogensis is the process where your body generates heat either by shivering or muscle contractions. Artificial thermogensis can be induced when you ingest certain compounds like plants.

Expert Insight: Green Tea

Green tea is a plant that has been consumed in the far east. Studies show that green tea contains catechins. Providant Clinical Research conducted a study to evaluate the influence of green tea catechins on overweight and obese individuals, with 132 participants randomly assigned either a placebo drink (39mg caffeine) or a catechin drink (625mg catechins + 39mg caffeine) for 12 weeks. The participants were asked to keep a stable calorie intake and complete 180 minutes of exercise weekly. In conclusion, there was no evident change in total fat mass between the two groups. However, the change in abdominal fat and subcutaneous abdominal fat was significantly reduced in the catechin group.

Expert Insight: Citrus aurantium

Citrus aurantium (bitter orange) contains a compound called synephrine. Chemically, synephrine acts similar to epinephrine and has been marketed as a safe ephedra alternative. However, citrus aurantium could pose health concerns. Synephrine increases blood pressure with possibly increasing cardiovascular events. At high doses, synephrine has a lipolytic (fat-destroying) effect in human adipose cells.

Expert Insight: Quercetin

Quercetin is an extremely powerful bioflavonoid that is found in berries, apple peel and tea. An animal study involving rats was done at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center to determine the effectiveness of quercetin supplementation during high-fat diets. It was determined that quercetin had a strong effect on energy expenditure while adding in nutrient partitioning. It also decreased inflammatory response. On the other hand, quercetin's effect on energy expenditure diminished with prolonged usage.

Potential

Plants provide specialized nutrients and compounds that could have the potential to increase thermogenesis. Convincing evidence in the above studies show that plants could be a safe and effective way to ward off obesity.

Warning

Please consult your physician before using any supplements. Be aware that some supplements interact with medication or could cause health concerns. Synephrine should not be taken with caffeine, which could pronounce possible high blood pressure characteristics.

References

• Journal of Nutrition. PubMed A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Macki, K., et al. 2009 Feb;139(2):264-70.
• Experimental Biology and Medicine. Citrus aurantium, an ingredient of dietary supplements marketed for weight loss: current status of clinical and basic research. Fugh-Berman, A. & Myers, A. 2004 Sep;229(8):698-704.
• Metabolism. Quercetin transiently increases energy expenditure but persistently decreases circulating markers of inflammation in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet. Stewart, L., at al. 2008 Jul;57(7 Suppl 1):S39-46.