Obesity has become increasingly prevalent in almost all industrialized countries. The primary causes of overweight are not precisely understood, although social, dietary, and genetic factors are thought to be involved. Obesity represents a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Many dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals have been introduced for the promotion of weight loss. Most of the currently available pharmaceuticals for weight loss work by suppressing appetite via central mechanisms. Such compositions utilize caffeine and/or ephedrine combined with other ingredients, as stimulants to suppress appetite, However, these substances produces various side effects. Caffeine increases blood pressure, may cause cardiac arrhythmia, and can make the patient feel nervous and jittery. Ephedrine can produce similar problems and the FDA has recommended that ephedrine contained drugs not be taken by those with heart disease or high blood pressure. While ephedrine and/or caffeine compositions may be effective in weight loss, the research continues for oral compositions which support weight control without these detrimental side effects.

Fat burning, or oxidation, plays a prominent role in liver metabolism. Liver metabolic activity accounts for over a quarter of the total body oxygen consumption in a subject at rest. The substantial energy needs of the liver are met largely by oxidation of fat. The dietary fat is absorbed by liver cells, which oxidize or burn it for energy in the mitochondria. The fats are transported from the cell cytoplasm into the liver mitochondria, by linking them to the special transporting molecule L-carnitine. This reaction is facilitated by the enzyme carnitine acyltransferase. Fat Burners generally include three categories: fibrous substances which immobilize fats, such as glucomannan; thermogenic agents which increase the metabolic rate and convert body fat to energy, such as L-Carnitine; and fat directors which inhibit lipogenesis (deposition of unburned fat), such as Chromium and the HCA from Garcinia Cambogia. The fiber increases the sense of satiation or fullness. The fibers in fat burning product reduce the levels of absorption and deposition of fats ingested in, or resulting from, subsequent meals or snacks. Glucomannan is a thickener in oriental cooking. It is currently being sold through Internet herb and nutrition stores as a bulking agent like other fibers. Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is an alpha-hydroxy tribasic acid (1,2-dihydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid) with two asymmetric centers.

Carnitine is a naturally occurring B vitamin-like compound found in humans and other mammals. Carnitine is synthesized in the body from two essential amino acids, protein bound lysine and methionine. Carnitine has many functions, but its primarily role is in the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondria. The critical role of carnitine in the production of energy from long-chain fatty acids is well recognized. The body utilizes carnitine to turn fat into energy. Carnitine works as part of an enzymatic complex formed from carnitine acyltransferase 1, carnitine translocase and carnitine transferase 11. Carnitine also has a role in the production of metabolic energy from several substrates in addition to long-chain fatty acids. Thus, adequate carnitine status and carnitine nutriture are essential in maintaining health.

Chromium functions as a cofactor for insulin. It binds to the insulin receptor and potentiates many, and perhaps all, of its functions. These functions include, but are not limited to, the regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Insufficient dietary intake of chromium leads to increases in risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases including elevated circulating insulin, glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, reduced HDL-cholesterol and impaired immune function. Chromium picolinate is a biologically active form of chromium, chromium itself being an essential trace mineral needed for carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism. It also plays an important role in insulin metabolism.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), has been and is the focus of numerous research programs that seek to capitalize on its nutritional, therapeutic, and pharmacological properties. One mechanism whereby CLA reduces body fat is by enhancing insulin sensitivity so that fatty acids and glucose can pass through muscle cell membranes and away from fat tissue. Conjugated linoleic acid has a significant potency relative to other fatty acids with respect to modulating tumorigenesis. Conjugated linoleic acid may help block fat cells that are in the body from filling up with fat. Conjugated linoleic acid also may have some effect on skeletal muscle, possibly stimulating muscle growth and fat burning. CLA inhibits the body’s mechanism for storing fat and causes the body to utilize fatty reserves for energy.

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