Fat Burning Proteins - what are they and do they work?
This was originally posted in our section, but so more people can benefit from it, it is best posted here.
Fat Burning Proteins - what are they and do they work?
I often receive emails about fat burning proteins from people, and as time goes on these seem to be coming much more popular with gym junkies who want it all.
A good shot of protein, while getting all the benefits of several potent fat burners, sounds perfect?
I mean after all, we all want to live the dream of gaining muscle whilst burning away fat at the same time, right?
Well, those who have been involved in weight training for some time realise burning fat and building muscle simultaneously is about as likely as a man landing a date with Ruby Rose!
Well, while some fat burning proteins are pretty decent, this article is to explain why some in fact miss the mark quite widely and what to look out for if this is what you are after.
Before we get started it is important to make a clear differentiation here. This article is not about “weight loss shakes” which are all the rage with many middle age man and women. These are simple meal replacements which usually contain up to 50% carbohydrates (more often than not simple sugars) with low quality protein sources, such as soy or milk solids.
My opinion of these are very low, you would be shocked to know how little they cost to produce compared to how much they sell for in the shops, no wonder companies are jumping on this band wagon all over the place, we are talking margins of 500% + in many cases!
This article is more specifically aimed at “fat burning” proteins which are targeted towards the sports and bodybuilding market.
The most important aspect of any good protein supplement is high quality protein. Usually high quality protein is Whey Protein, and more often than not, Whey Protein Isolate. Whey Isolate is typically used in these applications as it is remarkably easy to flavour, all while being very low in fats and carbohydrates.
Perhaps more for the benefits of labelling, low fats and carbohydrates always look good in any product, however when it comes to creating a weight loss effect there are many more things to consider.
Whey Protein Isolate provides fantastic nutrition; the only issue with Whey Isolate, and incidentally - one of its main benefits as a muscle building protein, is that it is absorbed very quickly.
The theory behind fast absorption being beneficial is still up in the air. The idea here is that around training time when the body is more anabolic, it will utilise protein better.
Here, the faster we can feed it with a very bioavailable source of protein, the sooner and more effectively it will be nourished, resulting in more muscle tissue repair, and hopefully muscle gains!
While this may be true, the negative with any rapid utilisation is that it causes peaks and troughs in a system. Think of rapidly absorbed sugars, when you take them blood glucose levels spike, your body is flooded with insulin which then stores any unused calories as fats. Another issue is that when insulin is high and so much energy is readily available, this is the least likely time your body will tap into its fat stores for energy.
While somewhat more complicated, a similar scenario exists with amino acid spikes. These do cause an insulin response (which many people are unaware of) and high levels of blood amino acids quickly lead to a trough later on, where unless protein supplies are topped up, will mean the the body will quickly encounter a catabolic state.
Given this is something we want to avoid as much as possible when trying to retain muscle, I believe this is the biggest limiter to fat burning proteins which use whey proteins (particularly isolates) as their sole protein source.
Funnily enough a better protein source would potentially be whey protein concentrate, while higher in fats and carbs, relatively speaking these are still very low and as it is absorbed more slowly than whey isolate, it would be less likely lead to a catabolic state later on.
The best alternative however is the utilisation of casein, whether it is calcium caseinate or miceller casein. One of caseins main benefits is that it creates a physically curd in the stomach so absorption tends to be very slow. When food is absorbed slowly, insulin levels, as well as blood amino acid levels (and therefore nitrogen) are kept very stable.
Apart from having a physical benefit to the bodies anabolic state over a longer period, slowly absorbed protein sources have another great benefit in satiation. Satiation, for those not familiar with the word is the effect of feeling full and ‘satisfied” which for many is the key to losing weight.
If we could somehow feel full more often, we are likely to eat less, thus resulting in a caloric deficient state, which leads to weight loss (more calories burned than consumed).
Regarding the caseins, calcium caseinate is the better alternative here, not because of it’s significantly lower carbohydrate levels (which does help), but rather its high calcium levels.
Not a well known fact, but protein sources high in calcium encourage the body to actually excrete more dietary fat. There has been some interesting research done on this over the last few years and the results are significant, in that a decent serve of high calcium protein can make a real difference to your body absorbing less dietary fat.
Combine that with Calcium Caseinates slow absorption and you’d struggle to find a better protein source for assisting weight loss.
The problem with using pure caseinate is that it is incredibly thick and gluggy in isolation, so the best compromise would be a product which contains the slow absorption benefits of casein (in decent enough quantities) with the mixability and taste and nutritional benefits of whey isolate.
In terms of actual “fat burning ingredients” it is best to select a product which has a multi function effect. The term fat burner is a very widely used term and one that covers a very large range of ingredients.
We have “thermogenics” such as DMAA, Caffeine, Synephrine (Citrus Aurantium), which are said to increase the bodies’ thermogenic activity and thus the heat generated by it, resulting in more calories being burned, and then there are ingredients such as Acetyl Carnitine, green tea and Sesamin which assist the body in utilising actual fat for energy (fat oxidisation).
There are many more categories to “fat burners”, with hydroxy citric acid and other citrates connected to claims of slowing down fat making enzymes, however generally ingredients fall into the first two categories.
Perhaps the most important part when scrutinising potential fat burning ingredients is the inclusion rates. While it is all well and good seeing products with 5, 10 or even 15 different “fat burning” ingredients, if these are included in tiny amounts, they may be as good as useless.
Here, it pays do do some research on key ingredients listed and then search (start with google) on what is an appropriate dose for each.
As an example, if a decent dose of acetyl carnitine is 500mg, and your fat burning protein only contains 30mg per serve, you’d question if it had any effect at all.
Do keep in mind however that when used in combination, fat burning ingredients do have somewhat of a “synergistic effect” (work together to create a stronger effect in combination than they would in isolation) so smaller doses are generally ok.
Happy hunting and remember, like always check the labels very carefully, ignore the hype and go straight for the ingredient list and nutritional panel!
Note – The writer of the article Ben Crowley has developed a fat burning protein ‘BioFurnace” in his range of Bioflex Products. BioFurnace contains only whey isolate and calcium caseinate with absolutely no fillers, with 10 fat burning ingredients. The fat burning ingredients are included in decent doses, with 2000mg of each 100g of product being fat burners.
You can read more about BioFurnace and purchase it here. http://www.bioflexnutrition.com.au/biofurnace.cfm
This was originally posted in our section, but so more people can benefit from it, it is best posted here.
Fat Burning Proteins - what are they and do they work?
I often receive emails about fat burning proteins from people, and as time goes on these seem to be coming much more popular with gym junkies who want it all.
A good shot of protein, while getting all the benefits of several potent fat burners, sounds perfect?
I mean after all, we all want to live the dream of gaining muscle whilst burning away fat at the same time, right?
Well, those who have been involved in weight training for some time realise burning fat and building muscle simultaneously is about as likely as a man landing a date with Ruby Rose!
Well, while some fat burning proteins are pretty decent, this article is to explain why some in fact miss the mark quite widely and what to look out for if this is what you are after.
Before we get started it is important to make a clear differentiation here. This article is not about “weight loss shakes” which are all the rage with many middle age man and women. These are simple meal replacements which usually contain up to 50% carbohydrates (more often than not simple sugars) with low quality protein sources, such as soy or milk solids.
My opinion of these are very low, you would be shocked to know how little they cost to produce compared to how much they sell for in the shops, no wonder companies are jumping on this band wagon all over the place, we are talking margins of 500% + in many cases!
This article is more specifically aimed at “fat burning” proteins which are targeted towards the sports and bodybuilding market.
The most important aspect of any good protein supplement is high quality protein. Usually high quality protein is Whey Protein, and more often than not, Whey Protein Isolate. Whey Isolate is typically used in these applications as it is remarkably easy to flavour, all while being very low in fats and carbohydrates.
Perhaps more for the benefits of labelling, low fats and carbohydrates always look good in any product, however when it comes to creating a weight loss effect there are many more things to consider.
Whey Protein Isolate provides fantastic nutrition; the only issue with Whey Isolate, and incidentally - one of its main benefits as a muscle building protein, is that it is absorbed very quickly.
The theory behind fast absorption being beneficial is still up in the air. The idea here is that around training time when the body is more anabolic, it will utilise protein better.
Here, the faster we can feed it with a very bioavailable source of protein, the sooner and more effectively it will be nourished, resulting in more muscle tissue repair, and hopefully muscle gains!
While this may be true, the negative with any rapid utilisation is that it causes peaks and troughs in a system. Think of rapidly absorbed sugars, when you take them blood glucose levels spike, your body is flooded with insulin which then stores any unused calories as fats. Another issue is that when insulin is high and so much energy is readily available, this is the least likely time your body will tap into its fat stores for energy.
While somewhat more complicated, a similar scenario exists with amino acid spikes. These do cause an insulin response (which many people are unaware of) and high levels of blood amino acids quickly lead to a trough later on, where unless protein supplies are topped up, will mean the the body will quickly encounter a catabolic state.
Given this is something we want to avoid as much as possible when trying to retain muscle, I believe this is the biggest limiter to fat burning proteins which use whey proteins (particularly isolates) as their sole protein source.
Funnily enough a better protein source would potentially be whey protein concentrate, while higher in fats and carbs, relatively speaking these are still very low and as it is absorbed more slowly than whey isolate, it would be less likely lead to a catabolic state later on.
The best alternative however is the utilisation of casein, whether it is calcium caseinate or miceller casein. One of caseins main benefits is that it creates a physically curd in the stomach so absorption tends to be very slow. When food is absorbed slowly, insulin levels, as well as blood amino acid levels (and therefore nitrogen) are kept very stable.
Apart from having a physical benefit to the bodies anabolic state over a longer period, slowly absorbed protein sources have another great benefit in satiation. Satiation, for those not familiar with the word is the effect of feeling full and ‘satisfied” which for many is the key to losing weight.
If we could somehow feel full more often, we are likely to eat less, thus resulting in a caloric deficient state, which leads to weight loss (more calories burned than consumed).
Regarding the caseins, calcium caseinate is the better alternative here, not because of it’s significantly lower carbohydrate levels (which does help), but rather its high calcium levels.
Not a well known fact, but protein sources high in calcium encourage the body to actually excrete more dietary fat. There has been some interesting research done on this over the last few years and the results are significant, in that a decent serve of high calcium protein can make a real difference to your body absorbing less dietary fat.
Combine that with Calcium Caseinates slow absorption and you’d struggle to find a better protein source for assisting weight loss.
The problem with using pure caseinate is that it is incredibly thick and gluggy in isolation, so the best compromise would be a product which contains the slow absorption benefits of casein (in decent enough quantities) with the mixability and taste and nutritional benefits of whey isolate.
In terms of actual “fat burning ingredients” it is best to select a product which has a multi function effect. The term fat burner is a very widely used term and one that covers a very large range of ingredients.
We have “thermogenics” such as DMAA, Caffeine, Synephrine (Citrus Aurantium), which are said to increase the bodies’ thermogenic activity and thus the heat generated by it, resulting in more calories being burned, and then there are ingredients such as Acetyl Carnitine, green tea and Sesamin which assist the body in utilising actual fat for energy (fat oxidisation).
There are many more categories to “fat burners”, with hydroxy citric acid and other citrates connected to claims of slowing down fat making enzymes, however generally ingredients fall into the first two categories.
Perhaps the most important part when scrutinising potential fat burning ingredients is the inclusion rates. While it is all well and good seeing products with 5, 10 or even 15 different “fat burning” ingredients, if these are included in tiny amounts, they may be as good as useless.
Here, it pays do do some research on key ingredients listed and then search (start with google) on what is an appropriate dose for each.
As an example, if a decent dose of acetyl carnitine is 500mg, and your fat burning protein only contains 30mg per serve, you’d question if it had any effect at all.
Do keep in mind however that when used in combination, fat burning ingredients do have somewhat of a “synergistic effect” (work together to create a stronger effect in combination than they would in isolation) so smaller doses are generally ok.
Happy hunting and remember, like always check the labels very carefully, ignore the hype and go straight for the ingredient list and nutritional panel!
Note – The writer of the article Ben Crowley has developed a fat burning protein ‘BioFurnace” in his range of Bioflex Products. BioFurnace contains only whey isolate and calcium caseinate with absolutely no fillers, with 10 fat burning ingredients. The fat burning ingredients are included in decent doses, with 2000mg of each 100g of product being fat burners.
You can read more about BioFurnace and purchase it here. http://www.bioflexnutrition.com.au/biofurnace.cfm