| Calcium Phosphate: Calcium plays important roles in bone
formation, nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and blood clotting. If calcium levels in
the blood drop below normal, calcium will be taken from bone and put into the blood in
order to maintain blood calcium levels. Therefore, it is important to consume enough
calcium to maintain adequate blood and bone calcium levels.
Guggulsterones:
Guggulsterones are a mixture of several
compounds isolated from the plant Commiphora Mukul (also called Gum Guggul). Carefully
planned scientific studies show that guggulsterones are highly effective at accelerating
fat loss, mainly due to their stimulating effect on the thyroid gland. The thyroid
hormones are among the most important hormones. They control your metabolic rate, which
dictates how many calories you burn each day. When your metabolic rate slows down, which
it does when you go on a diet, you automatically burn fewer calories each day. This means
that the rate at which you lose weight slows down.
However, guggulsterones naturally stimulate
the activity of the thyroid gland, returning your metabolic rate to where it should be.
This means that weight loss becomes faster and easier, as your body naturally burns more
calories each day. In one study carried in the journal Current Therapeutic Research, test
subjects using a supplement containing guggulsterones lost fat three times faster compared
to those using diet and exercise alone.
Garcinia Cambogia
Garcinia
cambogia is available as an herbal supplement and promoted as a weight loss agent due to
the fact that it has a compound called Hydroxycitrate (HCA) or hydroxycitric acid, an
active ingredient that is extracted from the rind of this Indian fruit.
Specifically, hydroxycitric acid
is a competitive inhibitor of adenosine triphosphate-citrate. In the cytosol, ATP citrate
lyase catalyzes the conversion of citrate and coenzyme A to oxaloacetate and acetyl
coenzyme A (commonly referred to as acetyl CoA). Acetyl CoA is required for the synthesis
of fatty acids, cholesterol and triglycerides.
Oxaloacetate may enter the gluconeogenic
pathway, which can lead to the production of glucose and glycogen. Many researchers and
experts assert that the putative antiobesity effect of hydroxycitric acid is due to
suppression of fatty acid and fat synthesis. Additionally, hydroxycitric acid is believed
to suppress food intake via an anorectic effect, which also supports the belief that HCA
may assist in weight loss.
Studies suggest that garcinia cambogia may
assist in weight loss for the following reasons:
- HCA appears to block the conversion of sugars and starches
into fats, that this, HCA is believed to help inhibit fat production.
- HCA may suppress appetite by raising levels of certain brain
chemicals such as serotonin, a key stimulator of appetite.
L-Tyrosine
L-tyrosine is a nonessential amino acid
(protein building block) that the body synthesizes from phenylalanine, another amino acid.
Tyrosine is important to the structure of almost all proteins in the body. It is also the
precursor of several neurotransmitters, including L-dopa, dopamine, norepinephrine, and
epinephrine.
L-tyrosine, through its effect on
neurotransmitters, may affect several health conditions, including Parkinson’s
disease, depression, and other mood disorders. Studies have suggested that tyrosine may
help people with depression. Preliminary findings indicate a beneficial effect of
tyrosine, along with other amino acids, in people affected by dementia, including
Alzheimer’s disease. Due to its role as a precursor to norepinephrine and epinephrine
(two of the body’s main stress-related hormones) tyrosine may also ease the adverse
effects of environmental, psychosocial, and physical stress.
L-tyrosine is converted by skin cells into
melanin, the dark pigment that protects against the harmful effects of ultraviolet light.
Thyroid hormones, which have a role in almost every process in the body, also contain
tyrosine as part of their structure.
People born with the genetic condition
phenylketonuria (PKU) are unable to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine. Mental
retardation and other severe disabilities can result. While dietary phenylalanine
restriction prevents these problems, it also leads to low tyrosine levels in many (but not
all) people with PKU. Tyrosine supplementation may be beneficial in some people with PKU,
though the evidence is conflicting.
Dipotassium Phosphate
Potassium is important for regulating pH
levels in body fluids, blood pressure and muscle and nerve cells. Obtaining adequate
potassium is particularly critical for individuals who are dieting or taking diuretics,
which is why potassium is commonly used in diet and meal replacement bars and other
dietary products.
Phosphatidyl Choline
Phosphatidyl choline is essential component
of cell membranes. Supplements labeled as “lecithin” usually contain 10–20%
PC. Relatively pure PC supplements are generally labeled as
“phosphatidylcholine.” PC best duplicates supplements used in medical research.
PC acts as a supplier of choline, which is
needed for cell membrane integrity and to facilitate the movement of fats in and out of
cells. It is also a component of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and is needed for
normal brain functioning, particularly in infants. Although the human body can synthesize
choline, additional amounts from the diet are considered essential under certain
circumstances. For this reason, PC has been used in a number of preliminary studies for a
wide variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders, though not every study suggests
that supplemental choline is capable of reaching the brain. Choline participates in many
functions involving cellular components called phospholipids.
Phosphatidyl choline breaks down fat
deposits in the body, making it valuable in the prevention of atherosclerosis and heart
disease. It is also essential to the liver, and helps strengthen its role in removing
toxins from the body. As such, people afflicted with hepatitis and cirrhosis may find it
beneficial. It can also enhance gallbladder health, and prevent gallstones.
Chromium Polynicotinate
Chromium picolinate is a patented version
of the trace mineral chromium. Studies show that this dietary supplement may provide
benefits including weight loss, lowered serum cholesterol and glucose, burned fat, and
build muscle. Picolinic acid is produced in the human body, apparently for the purpose of
improving the cellular uptake of trace metal ions. Scientists have demonstrated that
several minerals in the picolinate form are many times better assimilated than other forms
of the same mineral.
Chromium polynicotinate is an equally
effective assimilated form of chromium which some researchers suggest may have more
benefits for certain conditions than does the picolinate form. A recent study on
antidepressant pharmacotherapy for dysthymic disorder (depression) in 5 patients showed
that chromium polynicotinate supplementation led to remission of dysthymic symptoms and
concluded that "preliminary observations suggest that chromium may potentate
antidepressant pharmacotherapy for dysthymic disorder." Another study on chromium
polynicotinate in rats prevented the sucrose-induced elevation of systolic blood pressure
and decreased measures of lipid peroxidation.
Both forms of chromium reduce high serum
glucose levels which can contribute to aging via a destructive process known as
glycosylation, also called nonenzymatic glycation, in which glucose molecules bind to
proteins and interfere with their function. People with diabetes have a highly increased
rate of protein glycosylation and this plays a major part in their increased risk of
atherosclerosis and many other diseases. For many with diabetes, chromium enhances the
ability of insulin to lower serum glucose levels. |
