The effectiveness of fat burners for weight loss raises many questions and causes doubt. Scientists speak of only some effectiveness of many of them, while online stores are filled with enthusiastic reviews that have largely lost their strength and value, as they have turned into a product that can be bought for money, in any quantity. In this article, we will introduce you to real reviews of fat burners from NON-selling platforms, which we believe can be trusted.
Main thoughts:
Jana Klaue: Scientific studies show the complete uselessness of chromium for weight loss
Many of us remember the endless late-night TV commercials with slogans suggesting you can eat anything, live however you want, and lose weight with these amazing little pills.
The overwhelming majority of these enticing claims have no scientific basis. Advertisers are simply exploiting pain points.
Fat burners are classified as dietary supplements, not medications. This means that no one is required to prove their effectiveness before they are put on the market.
“The experimental data on the effectiveness of active plant ingredients in fat burners is very limited. This applies to almost all weight loss products available on the market,” says Steven Heymsfield, a professor of medicine at Columbia University and deputy director of the New York Obesity Research Center.
Important: To paraphrase the professor’s point: there is no scientific confirmation that fat burners work.
Professor Steven Heymsfield: scientific evidence for the effectiveness of most fat burners is very limited.
Personal trainer Todd Person, founder of Metabolic Project (a personal training center in Los Angeles), says that “..fat burners help with weight loss only when used in conjunction with physical exercise and a proper diet.”
Trainer Todd Person: Fat burners are useful for weight loss only when combined with a proper diet and physical activity.
Scientists’ Reviews on Fat Burners that Prevent Fat Absorption
Weight loss pills that prevent fat absorption most often contain chitosan. It is obtained by grinding the shells of shrimp, crabs, and other shellfish into powder.
Although there is some evidence of its effectiveness, the effect may be so small that you might not even notice it.
Several small studies have shown that people on a calorie-restricted diet (!) lose a little more weight when taking chitosan. (Note the condition: dietary restriction…)
Important: Jana Klauer, a researcher at the same New York Obesity Research Center, says that “Chitosan is just a source of fiber… A high-fiber diet is indeed effective for weight loss, but there are many cheaper alternatives than chitosan.”
The danger of chitosan is that it interferes with the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients (vitamin A, vitamin D, and phytochemicals beneficial in fighting diseases, found in many fresh fruits and vegetables) along with fat.
Regardless of manufacturers’ claims, doctors consider it a bad idea to take chitosan for more than three months.
Scientist Jana Klauer: Chitosan shows some effectiveness for weight loss when taken on a calorie-restricted diet… it is just fiber that can be obtained in cheaper ways
Scientists’ Reviews on Caffeine and Ephedrine-Based Fat Burners
Sports fat burners typically consist of a combination of several herbal stimulants, essential fatty acids, chromium compounds, and hydroxycitric acid.
The most popular herbal stimulants are caffeine and ephedrine, as well as guarana and Garcinia cambogia. Popular weight loss supplements include two or three of these ingredients, often along with aspirin or willow bark. By burning fat, they are supposed to increase energy. Most experts agree that they do work… in combination with physical exercise. How safe they are for health is another question.
“Ephedra is effective for weight loss … especially in combination with aspirin and other ingredients,” says Steven Heymsfield. “But it raises blood pressure and can cause fatal heart attacks, arrhythmias, and strokes … Advertising says nothing about the dangers of ephedrine.”
Jana Klauer and her colleagues studied the potential of ephedra in fat burning. Here are their conclusions: “The subjects did lose weight… but during the intake, blood pressure increased and remained high even after stopping the medication … I do not recommend ephedra for weight loss.”
Important
According to Klauer, both ephedra and caffeine work by increasing the rate of internal metabolism, but this can be achieved more safely and cheaply by simply exercising more and reducing caloric intake.
Scientists Jana Klauer and Steven Heymsfield: I do not recommend ephedra for weight loss… it raises blood pressure and can cause heart attacks, arrhythmias, and strokes… all it does is stimulate the rate of internal metabolism, which can also be achieved by simply exercising more.
Here is another notable review about fat burners from triathlete Matthew Martin from Chicago, who used them to adjust his weight for three months and positively commented on their effectiveness.
Despite a hereditary predisposition to heart disease, potential triathlete Matthew Martin chose a combination of caffeine and ephedrine for his fat-burning program. He noticed an increase in heart rate after taking the pills, but it did not concern him. According to him, taking the pills significantly boosts energy, helping him train more and reach his fitness goals faster. A month after stopping the fat burners, he remains in good shape but continues to train.
“I didn’t set out to test them… I just took them and they really helped reduce my appetite.”
Scientists’ Review on CLA Fat Burner
Essential fatty acids include conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and flaxseed oil. They are sometimes used in combination with garlic to increase muscle mass and burn fat. Research confirms their benefits in animals, and there is some reason to believe they are also beneficial for human weight loss.
Dr. Michael W. Pariza, director of the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying the effectiveness of CLA for weight loss, says: “Clinical evidence certainly suggests that CLA can be beneficial for weight loss and preventing fat mass gain. There is also quite convincing evidence that it alleviates many negative side effects (dizziness, stomach issues) that people experience during diets.”
In a study on CLA published in the International Journal of Obesity, a Swedish group of experts showed that overweight individuals taking CLA lose more fat than those who do not take it.
However, Pariza warns that not all CLA supplements are of high quality. He recommends consumers look for supplements containing one of two branded types of CLA, called Conalin and Clarinol.
Michael W. Pariza: Scientific data confirms that CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is beneficial for weight loss.
Scientists’ Review on Chromium-Based Fat Burners
At one time, chromium picolinate and pyruvate were very popular as ingredients in fat burners. Neither has received scientific confirmation of effectiveness. “There are studies on chromium that show the complete uselessness of chromium for weight loss,” says Jana Klauer.
Jana Klauer: Scientific studies show the complete uselessness of chromium for weight loss
Scientists’ Review of the Fat Burner HCA
Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is one of the forms of citric acid. It is derived from the fruit of the Malabar tamarind, which grows in Southeast Asia.
Debasis Bagchi, a professor of toxicology at the Creighton University School of Pharmacy in Omaha, Nebraska, and vice president of research and development at InterHealth Nutraceuticals, which develops HCA-based fat burners called CitriMax, says that “HCA stimulates fat breakdown, although scientific studies on this product are contradictory and not very promising.” According to him, CLA helps suppress appetite.
Heymsfield and colleagues studied the effectiveness of some commercial HCA-based fat burners. The study was funded by a weight loss supplement manufacturer. As a result, they found no effect from their use. The manufacturer’s explanation was that the researchers used the wrong form of HCA, but Heymsfield remained adamant in his conclusion.
Professor Debasis Bagchi: HCA stimulates fat breakdown, but scientific studies on this product are contradictory; many commercial HCA-based fat burners show no effect according to research results
Fat Burners: Review by Fitness Instructor Angel Rodriguez
The author of the review on fat burners is Angel Rodriguez – an athlete, fitness instructor, blogger, and journalist for the online publication The Huffington Post (original here).
“I want to share my review regarding what these so-called fat burners actually do. I won’t use complicated scientific terms and jargon; everything you read below is my personal experience with fat burners.
In the past, when I used fat burners or thermogenics, as they are also called, I lived a double life. One part was healthy, the other was not.
There were periods when I trained hard, ate right, rested… did everything as it should be. Fat burners worked just amazingly. Many admired watching me lose weight!
But there were also times when I didn’t train at all or very rarely, ate fast food, yet I continued to take fat burners. During this time, the magic of weight loss pills faded, and they stopped working.
Important: For some reason, these so-called fat burners only worked when I was doing the right things in life… the same things that I continue to do regularly today, burning fat and losing weight… but now without taking thermogenics. Curious, isn’t it?
If we set aside all sarcasm, the conclusion is simple: fat burners “work” when you lead a healthy lifestyle, watch your diet, and are physically active. The conclusion is logical and self-evident: you can achieve the same results without magical weight loss pills.
Question: then why put all this junk into your body?
It is also telling that a few years ago I went to a doctor for a heart examination because I was concerned about it. The reason was that I felt frequent heart palpitations for quite a long time. In addition, I felt incredible weakness when I stopped taking the pills. Honestly, fat burners made me physically dependent.
Important: I would categorically not recommend taking any of these so-called magical weight loss pills. There can be no easy and quick path in fitness, no magical substances: only hard work, self-discipline, and persistence are effective!
This is the reality. Unpleasant for some. But for your own good.
Angel Rodriguez: Fat burners “work” only when you lead a healthy lifestyle. They cause addiction and negatively affect the heart. He categorically does NOT recommend taking weight loss pills, stating their absolute ineffectiveness.
Fat Burners: Review by Athlete and Bestselling Author Mike Matthews
Mike Matthews is a bestselling author in the fitness and health field, founder of MuscleForLife.com and Legion Athletics (legionathletics.com). (Original here)
“Fat burners are one of the most controversial supplements on the sports nutrition market; most of them are junk, some are very dangerous, but not all are absolutely useless…
If you are looking for magical weight loss pills, remember…
No fat burner (in any amount) will make you thin.
Believe me.
In nature, there are basically no safe, natural compounds that burn fat and are powerful enough to make you lose weight.
But there is good news:
If you can (or learn to) control your weight through a proper diet and exercise, some supplements can speed up the weight loss process.
My own experience working with thousands of people allows me to assert that well-chosen weight loss supplements can increase fat burning by about 30-50% with minimal side effects.
That is, if you can lose 0.5 kilograms a week through a proper diet and exercise (which is quite realistic), the right fat burners can increase that number to 0.7 kg.
And now for another piece of bad news:
Important: The problem is that most weight loss pills on the market are absolute junk.
I know, it sounds harsh, but I’m not exaggerating.
The reason is simple: many of the active ingredients in these fat burners (Garcinia Cambogia, raspberry ketones, and green coffee extract) are cheap, which makes them profitable… but they are very NOT effective (if they are effective at all).
Mike Matthews: No fat burners will make you thin… they only work in combination with exercise and a proper diet: together they enhance the effect of weight loss… most fat burners on the market are useless junk.
Fat Burners: A Review by Athlete and Fitness Trainer Martin Bolduc
Martin Bolduc is the winner of the Lean Body Challenge 2008, a certified personal trainer (ACE and BCRPA), a natural bodybuilder, author of several books, and ExpressFatLoss.com. (original here)
“A good friend of mine has a grocery store in North Vancouver, and the other day I went there to buy protein. He showed me some new products he had just received. I love learning about new items. I’m like a kid in a candy store!
We were in the middle of a conversation when a girl about 25 years old walked in and started browsing the store. My friend asked if he could help, and she said, ‘I’m looking for fat burners. Do you have anything new? I’ve tried a few of them, but they don’t work. But I really need to lose weight.’
At that moment, I was looking at her and guess what she had in her hands? A chocolate bar! Why do you think none of the fat burners she tried worked?
My friend looked at her and said, “You shouldn’t eat that if you want to lose weight.” She started laughing and, to change the subject, continued talking as if nothing had happened.
A few minutes into the conversation with her, we discovered that this young lady wants to lose weight but doesn’t exercise, eats only 2 times a day and in large portions, and on top of that uses fat burners… Indeed, it’s unclear why she can’t lose weight… 😉
This is a colossal problem. Many people take weight loss pills but do not exercise and eat poorly, placing all their hopes on fat burners.
Some supplements can indeed enhance the weight loss effect to some extent. But personally, I don’t know anyone with an excellent physique who simply took fat burners. Only physical exercise, proper nutrition, and (some) supplements will yield good results in weight loss. These are three essential components.
When I won the Lean Body Challenge last year (2008), I trained 5 days a week and ate exclusively well – lean protein from natural sources (chicken breast and fish), lots of vegetables and fruits, and some complex carbohydrates like oatmeal and brown rice.
Important: Nutrition (not even training) is the number one reason why athletes or regular people who want to lose weight do or do not achieve results. Proper nutrition is the golden rule of fitness and bodybuilding regardless of your goals: weight loss or muscle gain.
Fitness trainer Martin Bolduc: The problem why many people cannot lose weight is that they do not exercise and eat poorly, placing all their hopes solely on fat burners. Proper nutrition (and not even training) is the most important factor for success in sports, regardless of your goals: gaining mass or losing weight.
Conclusion
Fat burners are expensive. The cost of a monthly dose of most of them ranges from 50 to several hundred dollars a month. In return, you get nothing.
Although there is some scant evidence of the effectiveness of some of them, even in that case, the effect is minimal. No fat burner is a magic pill that will help you lose weight while you munch on chips in front of the TV.
Even experts who advocate for weight loss supplements agree that they should be combined with a proper diet and regular exercise to achieve an effect.
If you have the willpower to stick to a diet and exercise, and you have some extra money, you can experiment with fat burners, but make sure their ingredients are safe.
If you are looking for light bread and do not intend to follow diets or engage in sports – it is better to spend the extra money doing something nice for yourself, like buying a donut.
Jana Klauer: Proper long-term weight loss mainly comes down to a balanced, low-fat diet high in complex carbohydrates and daily aerobic exercises (running, walking, swimming, cycling).
