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The Big Calm and the Science of
the New Thermogenesis
by Randi Clausen – Healthy Living Article
 Thermogenesis
Defined
The term “thermogenic” is euphemistically
referred to as “fat burning” because of the nature in which the
process works.
In thermogenesis, the metabolic rate of cells is
increased, requiring them to “burn” fat that the body stores in
adipose tissue. This is completed when the conversion of nutrients
(such as fat) to energy occurs within the cells, more specifically,
inside cell structures called mitochondria.
Basically, the health media has told consumers about
only one type of thermogenesis, the one that is known for its use of
stimulants. The other is all about the big calm. The big calm is the
new way to lose weight.
Actually, both types of thermogenesis have a place
in the dietary supplement category. For example, in the stimulant
category, bitter orange from immature fruits has been used for
thousands of years in Chinese medicine, thanks to its synephrine, and
it can be found in many diet formulas.
Coffee can also be a dieter’s friend, but comes with
a mildly addictive central nervous system stimulation, which can cause
some to be jittery.
From the Amazon rainforest comes guarana, whose rich
caffeine phytochemicals are actually defensive toxins that repel
biological pathogens. Guarana is in all sorts of teas and soft drinks
as well as dietary supplements.
However, the big daddy of all excitants is Ephedra
sinensis, also known as Ma Huang. This metabolic stoker was extremely
popular throughout the ‘90s until the natural products industry and
federal regulators worked together to curb its use due to its abuse by
dieters and thrill seekers.
Many of these metabolic stokers can increase blood
pressure and heart rate. This is the side to be careful about and why
anybody considering using this type of weight-loss aid should consult
a qualified health professional. Plus, you might want to consider what
we're about to tell you.
The Calm Thermogenesis
The modern breakthrough in thermogenesis now
reaching the consumer offers an entirely different non-stimulant
experience and actually stokes only the mitochondria of fat cells,
promotes overall health and most of all does not affect the same
receptors as the stimulant supplements do. You get the metabolic
stoking, yet calm fire.
Specifically speaking, the thermogenesis induced by
an extract of brown seaweed called
fucoxanthin is non-stimulant in nature because it bypasses the
adrenergic (stimulatory or sympathetic) receptors at the surfaces of
the cells.
This is pretty major stuff. The adrenergic receptors
bind with adrenaline and noradrenalin (the stress hormones called
epinephrine and norepinephrine in the United States), and are
activated by other chemicals that bind to them, including caffeine and
ephedrine
Unlike the stimulants, fucoxanthin selectively
activates mitochondria precisely where conversion of fat into energy
takes place, particularly in the fat cells found in the belly.
Fucoxanthin is particularly effective at “burning” visceral
fat, which is composed of white adipose tissue. Visceral fat is the
fat surrounding the internal organs and specifically the double layer
of fat flanking the stomach, called the omentum. This is different
from subcutaneous fat, which lies just below the surface of the skin
and is more often deposited in the hip and thigh regions. An excess of
visceral fat leads to the “pot belly” or “beer belly” effect in which
the abdomen protrudes excessively.
In a Japanese study, researchers determined that supplementation with
fucoxanthin dramatically reduced the abdominal fat of mice. The
extract accomplishes this by igniting the production of a specialized
protein gene called uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1 gene) in white adipose
tissue. The researchers believe that the UCP1 gene unleashes fats and
makes them more available for energy. This speeds their oxidation and
results in burning the visceral fat tissue. Yet, it does so without
affecting the central nervous system.
 FücoTHIN
- A BREAKTHROUGH IN THERMOGENESIS
The most well-known and number-one brand of
fücoxanthin is
fücoTHIN from
Garden of Life. Jordan Rubin, founder of Garden of Life, has
worked with thousands of Americans one-on-one to lose weight, as
documented in his book
Perfect Weight America, and this particular supplement, he
says, arguably played a critical role in their weight loss, which also
included improved shopping skills and dietary changes. Jordan clearly
loves telling the story of his discovery of this fat burner.
“Whenever I tell someone the story of
fücoTHIN, there is almost always the same reaction. I tell
them that the product is a fat burner, and they roll their eyes. After
all, there are hundreds of products that tout their ability to burn
fat or raise your metabolism. But something funny happens as I
continue the story. You see, the story of fucoxanthin, the main
ingredient contained in fücoTHIN, reads like an action adventure
novel. There are exotic locales, cutting- edge science, stories of
ancient cultures, a dedicated Russian doctor, and even a sad, tragic
and untimely death. All of a sudden, people were becoming more and
more interested.”
Of particular importance to the story of fücoTHIN
was Jordan’s close working friendship with the classically trained
biochemical and plant physiologist Dr. Zakir Ramazanov, who served as
the Head Engineer at the Institute of Solar Energy of the Soviet
Union.
It was there that Dr. Ramazanov began experimenting
with solar bioreactors and how they affected the cultivation of
certain marine vegetables and algae, including spirulina and
chlorella. As his career advanced and eventually took him to the
United States, Dr. Ramazanov continued to develop cultivation methods
that allowed for the human consumption of sea vegetables more commonly
known as seaweed.
So why did Dr. Ramazanov give his full attention
to seaweed?
“Dr. Ramazanov focused on seaweed based upon
epidemiological data from some of the longest lived and healthiest
cultures on the planet. Scientists have found compelling data that
links the consumption of seaweed to the long-term health of many Asian
cultures, most notably the Japanese. It is amazing to me how often we
ignore data like this. Instead of following the health secrets of the
longest living peoples, we opt for convenience foods such as greasy
fries and mocha lattes and then wonder why we are getting fatter and
sicker. We even feel hopeless as to why. The answers are right in
front of us! Dr. Ramazanov understood that key components of the Asian
diet, namely seaweed, contributed to their extraordinary health. He
was determined to bring this message to the world.”
Eventually, Dr. Ramazanov would move to the Canary
Islands where he would work for the Institute of Technology and Marine
Sciences. While living there, fucoxanthin, the brown seaweed extract
with the ability to burn fat, caught Dr. Ramazanov’s attention, which
would ultimately lead to it becoming the main ingredient in fücoTHIN.
Of course, every story has a climax and a resolution
that both grabs and satisfies the person hearing the story. For
fücoTHIN it is this: It works. It burns fat, and clinical research
shows that it does so without all of the harm that other fat-burning
formulas cause.
Dr. Ramazanov’s theories were tested in two separate
studies, both performed by a highly reputable and independent
third-party research institute.
Dr. Ramazanov died unexpectedly before he could see
fucoxanthin made available for mass consumption. However, the light of
his scientific findings continues to shine brightly.
THE STUDIES AND THEIR FINDINGS
A total of 150 women participated in these studies:
40 in the Metabolic Rate Study and 110 in the Weight Loss Study. The
average age of the women in the group was 38, and all participants
were clinically obese. Both studies lasted 16 weeks, and in both all
the participants were counseled to follow a 1,800-calorie diet.
Because there was a particular interest in fucoxanthin’s effects on
white adipose tissue that comprises human visceral fat, the groups
within the weight loss study were further broken down into two
sub-groups: (1) those with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD),
and (2) those who had normal liver fat (NLF).
The Metabolic Rate Study concluded that there
was a statistically significant difference between the group taking
the fücoTHIN and the placebo control group. They found:
- The group taking fücoTHIN experienced an increase
in energy expenditure rate (also known as metabolic rate) of 7.03
units Kelvin as measured at the conclusion of the 16-week study. The
placebo group experienced an increase in energy expenditure of 5.95
units Kelvin. Therefore, the group taking fücoTHIN had a metabolic
rate increase that averaged 18.2 percent higher than the placebo
group.
- Researchers first noted an increase in human
metabolic rate after the fifth full week of the study.
The Weight Loss Study made similar
statistically significant findings:
- There were two groups who took fücoTHIN in this
study: those with NAFLD and those with NLF. The group with NAFLD
lost an average of 15.2 pounds while the group with NLF lost an
average of 13.9 pounds. The average of both groups, which is the
entire study group taking the formula, lost an average of 14.5
pounds.
- The placebo group only lost three pounds.
- Mathematically, those who took fücoTHIN lost over
4.5 times more weight than those who just dieted.
- In addition, waist circumference was
significantly reduced in those taking the formula versus the
placebo.
- The study determined that fücoTHIN promotes
weight loss and body and liver fat content reduction in obese
non-diabetic female subjects independently of their liver fat
content.
- The first “statistically significant reduction in
body weight” occurred after six continuous weeks of supplementation.
- Researchers concluded that “the results of this
clinical trial indicate that [fücoTHIN] possesses clinically
relevant anti-obesity properties.”
When I first heard of brown seaweed and weight loss
a few years ago, I went out and bought a big package of brown seaweed
and ate the whole darned thing. I could feel more energy, definitely,
and, of course, seaweed is truly one of the great sources of vitamins
and minerals. Indeed, like the sea itself, seaweed is a rich source of
all our minerals, especially iodine for the thyroid, but also for
long-chained polysaccharides that help the body to excrete chemical
toxins including radiation.
Not everyone has a taste for seaweed, though. Well,
fücoTHIN changes the whole dynamic, and it’s the brand you
want to buy. It has the best track record and delivers the highest
potency.
Identifying and measuring the amount of
fucoxanthin in products
This is really important these days because, well, a
lot of knock-off products have come on the market. However, there are
different ways of identifying and measuring the amount of fucoxanthin
in products. Most companies do not measure only fucoxanthin but other
carotenoids as well when they do their laboratory testing, inflating
their product potency. The fücoTHIN formula is not only based on the
pioneering work of Dr. Ramazanov but is measured using a laboratory
method that allows for precise identification of fucoxanthin. There’s
a big difference, too, as to how many capsules of other products would
equal two of fücoTHIN.
Recently, The Doctors’ Prescription for Healthy
Living obtained a letter from Craft Technologies, Inc. (CTI), a
testing laboratory that specializes in the analysis of nutrients,
carotenoids, vitamins, bioflavonoids, and phytochemicals. The
management team has over 50 years of combined experience in
nutritional analysis and method development. Dr. Neal Craft,
president, has been involved in the development of methods for the
measurement of vitamins, carotenoids and phytochemicals in biological
materials since 1984. Many companies are using what is known as UV or
ultraviolet testing for fucoxanthin, he said. Dr. Craft argues that
the accurate measurement of fucoxanthin concentration should be
determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) near 450
nm wavelength—the wavelength at which fucoxanthin has maximum
absorbance.
However, UV is the method of choice used by many
suppliers of fucoxanthin products from around the world, he adds.
“This method [of] approach delivers consistently false results since
it is not measuring only fucoxanthin. Only those who desire an
accurate measure of their product’s content and quality use the HPLC
method to verify fucoxanthin concentration.”
According to the report, a version of which also
appeared in the 2008 issue of the FASEB Journal (22:1105.1-1105), none
of the other products tested “registered more than a trace presence of
fucoxanthin.” The only product that actually contained what its
label stated and in amounts recommended for effective weight
management was
fücoTHIN from Garden of Life.
Because it supplies actual quantifiable amounts
of fucoxanthin,
fücoTHIN can be characterized as a non-stimulant,
weight-management supplement with a thermogenic effect for fat
metabolism. It’s the real thing, it’s modern non-stimulatory
thermogenesis—and that’s a good thing. fücoTHIN is the calm approach
to sensible weight loss.
The statements in this article have not been
evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information
contained here is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent
any disease. Suggestions and ideas presented in this document are for
information only and should not be interpreted as medical advice,
meant for diagnosing illness, or for prescriptive purposes. Readers
are encouraged to consult their health care provider before beginning
any cleanse, diet, detoxification program, or any supplement regimen.
The information in this document is not to be used to replace the
services or instructions of a physician or qualified health care
practitioner. |
