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With a fast food culture predicated upon massive helpings of fat-laden, sugar-coated, nutritionally inert (from a health standpoint) products having become fully entrenched, and structured exercise being a foreign concept for many, society today has become more complacently fat than ever.
Might there now be a method for speeding up the fat loss process that can be done independent of many hours in the gym and discipline at the dinner table? Would you be happy to experience around the clock body fat reduction and a continually, significantly heightened, metabolic rate without the unhealthy increase in blood pressure that so often accompanies fat loss ‘stimulant’ products? And, would a serious boost in antioxidant levels, to support general health and vitality, and low blood sugar levels to offset diseases such as type-2 diabetes, be an enticing proposition?
Green Coffee Bean Extract
It has for many years been believed that rapid fat loss supplements are mostly hype and offer little return on investment; that the only way to truly maximize fat loss is through effective training and nutritional strategies. However, as recent research strongly suggests, this notion must now seriously be reevaluated and challenged.
Over recent months a buzz has circulated in the medical community and it has all centered on a humble green coffee bean, which, for its much-studied properties, is purported to mark a revolutionary step forward for permanent fat loss and is in many ways thought to be beneficial for general health. Touted as a potentially effective weapon against the obesity epidemic that continues to plague almost all developed nations, unfermented and unroasted green coffee beans – more specifically their natural, active compound, Chlorogenic acid (CGA) – have captivated researchers for their remarkable ability to reduce insulin activity, stabilize blood glucose and, ultimately, encourage fat to be burned for energy.
What is Chlorogenic Acid?
As a naturally occurring organic compound, Chlorogenic acid, a hydroxycinnamic acid (a class of polyphenols), has long been considered an important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream after the consumption of food. A major natural source of CGA, and one of its primary subclasses – observed as a main metabolite found in urine post-consumption – 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA), green coffee beans (which provide 5-12g of active CGA per 100g of beans) have become a popular weight management aid due in large part to the rigorous research that has been done to assess their efficacy. And by all accounts their effectiveness, as will soon be discussed, appears to be extremely sound. But such promising results do not come without several caveats.
Firstly, the beans themselves (which in their original state, before CGA extraction, provide 11% CGA’s and 6% 5-CQA) must be unroasted, unfermented and decaffeinated. Secondly, the extraction process, whereby the finished product, to be truly effective, should contain 45% CGA’s and 10% 5-CQA, must be done so as to remove all impurities and compounds which may negate its positive effects (such as cafestol and kahweol, compounds found in coffee which may elevate blood cholesterol levels). Moreover, once extracted, CGA, when incorporated into top-line nutritional supplements designed for maximum fat loss, should be included in sufficiently strong doses so as to elicit the greatest effect.
When supplied in doses of 200mg per serving (which, when taken twice daily, provides 400mg, the perfect dose for optimal fat burning, metabolic efficiency, blood sugar control and insulin modulation) the benefits can be astounding.
Most fitness devotees know that regular coffee (and its beneficial constituent, caffeine) produces a thermogenic effect to encourage fat loss while aiding energy production to ramp up physical performance and corresponding fat loss in line with such improved performance. What is not as well known, however, is coffee’s positive influence on glucose tolerance and its ability to protect against type-2 diabetes. What is seldom considered is the type of coffee bean responsible for the most significant improvements in these areas. Though regular roasted coffee will impart some fat loss benefits, it is, as noted, green coffee that by a large margin provokes the best results in metabolic efficiency.
With scientific studies confirming that CGA and 5-CQA found in green coffee beans will inhibit glucose-6-phosphatase (a liver enzyme that activates the conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to glucose, thus allowing glucose in the liver to enter the bloodstream) to promote blood glucose regulation and divert energy production to fat as a major fuel source, Svetol (CGA in its most potent form) is considered by experts, no less highly regarded as TV health advocate Dr. Oz, ( The Green Coffee Bean That Burns Fat Fast) as a triple threat against disease and obesity.
By decreasing glucose absorption in the intestine through inhibiting the aforementioned glucose-6- phosphatase, thus encouraging the body to derive its energy requirements from the efficient fuel source, fat, adipose tissue is released into CGA’s – or Svetol’s – capable hands and unsightly body fat is permanently banished. Furthermore, by modulating blood sugar levels to assist fat loss, Svetol serves as an appetite suppressant, thus enabling the user to maintain a sensible eating plan while blasting their fat stores (perhaps rendering it a ‘quadruple threat’). Truly a breakthrough compound in the fight against obesity and metabolic disease, CGA is to fat loss in the 21st Century as creatine was to muscle building in the 90s.
What The Research Says
Svetol and Glucose
Advantageous for consumers of CGA is its proposed ability to modulate glucose in the bloodstream following the consumption of carbohydrate-based meals. Minimization of glucose output as a major facilitator in healthy weight management has, after all, long been known, hence the low simple-carbohydrate mandate most diets espouse. In one study, researchers (1) investigated whether Svetol could decrease post-prandial (following meals) blood glucose concentration in humans. In their study, 15 women and men aged between 18 and 70 were submitted to a glucose tolerance test before and after supplementation with Svetol (200mg of Svetol in three daily doses – 600mg per day – over a 40 day period). Physical activity levels and diet for all participants remained unchanged during this period. After the 40-day supplementation period it was found that post-load glycaemia (or blood sugar levels following a meal) had decreased significantly compared to the post-load glycaemia obtained before the supplementation; 66% of participants also experienced an average improvement of 48% in blood glucose concentration following meals. For ten participants, glucose tolerance was highly and significantly decreased after supplementing with the Svetol, compared to the glucose tolerance readings obtained before they had supplemented with Svetol. Finally, an average loss of approximately 3lbs bodyweight was noted among all group members, irrespective of their unchanged diet and exercise pattern.
In a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, which assessed the effectiveness of Svetol supplementation on weight management (2), researchers discovered a significant Body Mass Index (BMI) reduction among participants in comparison to the study’s control group.
In this study, 50 volunteers of both sexes, aged from 19 to 75 and with BMI’s surpassing 25 (placing them in the overweight category) were divided into two randomized groups: a control group of 20 participants who received a placebo and a treated group of 30, who were given 200mg of Svetol brand Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE) twice a day for 60 days with main meals (thus each Svetol subject received the desired daily amount of CGA’s: 400mg). For each subject – both control and treated – changes in body weight, BMI and Muscle Mass/Fat Mass (MM/FM) ratio were recorded at the study’s commencement and completion.
After the 60-day treatment period the Svetol subjects were found to have favorably reduced their bodyweight by an average of 5.7% (4.97kg/10.96lb) whereas the control group, who had received 200mg of maltodextrin in place of the Svetol twice a day, showed a mean reduction of 2.45kg/5.40lb. MM/FM ratio had also significantly improved for all treated participants.
It was concluded that Svetol is able to exacerbate the effects of a bland low calorie diet in overweight subjects, a finding which, say the researchers, could be explained by an increase in the consumption of fatty deposits and an offsetting of their accumulation through Svetol brand Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE) supplementation.
Bioavailability of CGA
As revealed in the above two studies, Chlorogenic Acids (CGAs) appear to successfully modulate blood sugar levels to encourage body fat utilization to effectively manage body weight. In a more recent study researchers (3) sought to assess the exact bioavailability of CGAs in human subjects by evaluating the pharmacokinetic profile of CGAs in blood plasma and urine of 10 healthy adults (five male and five female) for eight hours after the consumption of a decaffeinated coffee extract containing 170mg of CGA. After acute ingestion of the coffee extract, each subject was to be tested for bio-available levels of CGA compounds and metabolites. It was discovered that over 30% of the active CGA compounds, including metabolites such as 5-CQA and caffeic acid, ingested were recovered in plasma (with peak levels from 0.5 to eight hours after treatment) and indentified in urine following treatment. This study, which showed that the major CGA compounds found in green coffee are highly absorbed and metabolized in humans, demonstrated for the first time the high bioavailability of green coffee, even considering the relatively low experimental doses of 170mg that were given.
A Dosage Study
A further study examined the efficacy and safety of high and low dose CGA supplementation on weight and body mass reduction among 16 overweight adult subjects, aged 22-46 (average BMI at the study’s commencement was 28.22). In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, 22 week crossover study each subject received either 1050mg or 700mg of the green coffee bean extract (GCBE), or a placebo, in separate six-week treatment periods (followed by a two-week ‘washout’ period to prevent preceding treatments influencing the results). Body weight, body fat percentage and BMI were measured to determine any positive effects. No dietary changes were made by any subject during this study. Consistent with findings from other studies into CGA supplementation, all subjects were found to have lowered their BMI (-2.92kg/M2), body weight (a mean reduction of 8kg or 17.64lb) and body fat percentage (4.4% on average). All participants reported no side effects associated with the green coffee extract consumption.
Conclusion
As outlined above, significant data has revealed that Svetol branded Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE) supplementation appears to not only retard the absorption of fats from the intestine but also to activate fat metabolism in the liver as well as boosting the metabolic rate for long periods. Along with its beneficial antioxidant properties and positive influence on blood sugar levels, CGA, most notably in the pure form Svetol, with its proven effectiveness, will undoubtedly aid many in their fight against stubborn body fat. With science on its side, this remarkable product, found in weight management supplements such as ALLMAX Nutrition’s Rapidcuts Femme, and in Rapidcuts Shredded, will, if used as prescribed, help to drive down the global obesity rate while improving health for many.
Sources
With worldwide obesity having more than doubled since 1980, the World Health Organization has predicted that 2.3 billion overweight adults will, by 2015, populate the earth; of these, more than 700 million will be obese.
Resulting clogged arteries, sky-high blood pressure and blood sugar readings, poor joint health, poorer blood circulation and general lethargy are viewed by many as an inevitable tradeoff for long work hours and an overcommitted lifestyle.Might there now be a method for speeding up the fat loss process that can be done independent of many hours in the gym and discipline at the dinner table? Would you be happy to experience around the clock body fat reduction and a continually, significantly heightened, metabolic rate without the unhealthy increase in blood pressure that so often accompanies fat loss ‘stimulant’ products? And, would a serious boost in antioxidant levels, to support general health and vitality, and low blood sugar levels to offset diseases such as type-2 diabetes, be an enticing proposition?
Green Coffee Bean Extract
It has for many years been believed that rapid fat loss supplements are mostly hype and offer little return on investment; that the only way to truly maximize fat loss is through effective training and nutritional strategies. However, as recent research strongly suggests, this notion must now seriously be reevaluated and challenged.
Over recent months a buzz has circulated in the medical community and it has all centered on a humble green coffee bean, which, for its much-studied properties, is purported to mark a revolutionary step forward for permanent fat loss and is in many ways thought to be beneficial for general health. Touted as a potentially effective weapon against the obesity epidemic that continues to plague almost all developed nations, unfermented and unroasted green coffee beans – more specifically their natural, active compound, Chlorogenic acid (CGA) – have captivated researchers for their remarkable ability to reduce insulin activity, stabilize blood glucose and, ultimately, encourage fat to be burned for energy.
What is Chlorogenic Acid?
As a naturally occurring organic compound, Chlorogenic acid, a hydroxycinnamic acid (a class of polyphenols), has long been considered an important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream after the consumption of food. A major natural source of CGA, and one of its primary subclasses – observed as a main metabolite found in urine post-consumption – 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA), green coffee beans (which provide 5-12g of active CGA per 100g of beans) have become a popular weight management aid due in large part to the rigorous research that has been done to assess their efficacy. And by all accounts their effectiveness, as will soon be discussed, appears to be extremely sound. But such promising results do not come without several caveats.
Manufactured by Naturex, the patented version of green coffee extract used in the best fat loss supplements on the market today, called Svetol, contains the most concentrated, pure grade CGA available.
When supplied in doses of 200mg per serving (which, when taken twice daily, provides 400mg, the perfect dose for optimal fat burning, metabolic efficiency, blood sugar control and insulin modulation) the benefits can be astounding.
Most fitness devotees know that regular coffee (and its beneficial constituent, caffeine) produces a thermogenic effect to encourage fat loss while aiding energy production to ramp up physical performance and corresponding fat loss in line with such improved performance. What is not as well known, however, is coffee’s positive influence on glucose tolerance and its ability to protect against type-2 diabetes. What is seldom considered is the type of coffee bean responsible for the most significant improvements in these areas. Though regular roasted coffee will impart some fat loss benefits, it is, as noted, green coffee that by a large margin provokes the best results in metabolic efficiency.
With scientific studies confirming that CGA and 5-CQA found in green coffee beans will inhibit glucose-6-phosphatase (a liver enzyme that activates the conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to glucose, thus allowing glucose in the liver to enter the bloodstream) to promote blood glucose regulation and divert energy production to fat as a major fuel source, Svetol (CGA in its most potent form) is considered by experts, no less highly regarded as TV health advocate Dr. Oz, ( The Green Coffee Bean That Burns Fat Fast) as a triple threat against disease and obesity.
- It reduces the absorption of carbohydrates from food;
- It reduces the release of carbohydrates from the liver;
- It reduces blood sugar, thereby forcing the body to utilize fat stores for energy.
By decreasing glucose absorption in the intestine through inhibiting the aforementioned glucose-6- phosphatase, thus encouraging the body to derive its energy requirements from the efficient fuel source, fat, adipose tissue is released into CGA’s – or Svetol’s – capable hands and unsightly body fat is permanently banished. Furthermore, by modulating blood sugar levels to assist fat loss, Svetol serves as an appetite suppressant, thus enabling the user to maintain a sensible eating plan while blasting their fat stores (perhaps rendering it a ‘quadruple threat’). Truly a breakthrough compound in the fight against obesity and metabolic disease, CGA is to fat loss in the 21st Century as creatine was to muscle building in the 90s.
What The Research Says
Svetol and Glucose
Advantageous for consumers of CGA is its proposed ability to modulate glucose in the bloodstream following the consumption of carbohydrate-based meals. Minimization of glucose output as a major facilitator in healthy weight management has, after all, long been known, hence the low simple-carbohydrate mandate most diets espouse. In one study, researchers (1) investigated whether Svetol could decrease post-prandial (following meals) blood glucose concentration in humans. In their study, 15 women and men aged between 18 and 70 were submitted to a glucose tolerance test before and after supplementation with Svetol (200mg of Svetol in three daily doses – 600mg per day – over a 40 day period). Physical activity levels and diet for all participants remained unchanged during this period. After the 40-day supplementation period it was found that post-load glycaemia (or blood sugar levels following a meal) had decreased significantly compared to the post-load glycaemia obtained before the supplementation; 66% of participants also experienced an average improvement of 48% in blood glucose concentration following meals. For ten participants, glucose tolerance was highly and significantly decreased after supplementing with the Svetol, compared to the glucose tolerance readings obtained before they had supplemented with Svetol. Finally, an average loss of approximately 3lbs bodyweight was noted among all group members, irrespective of their unchanged diet and exercise pattern.
This study suggests that Svetol supplemented in adequate doses can reduce a user’s weight independent of any improvements they may have made to their diet and exercise programs.
Svetol and Body MassIn a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, which assessed the effectiveness of Svetol supplementation on weight management (2), researchers discovered a significant Body Mass Index (BMI) reduction among participants in comparison to the study’s control group.
In this study, 50 volunteers of both sexes, aged from 19 to 75 and with BMI’s surpassing 25 (placing them in the overweight category) were divided into two randomized groups: a control group of 20 participants who received a placebo and a treated group of 30, who were given 200mg of Svetol brand Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE) twice a day for 60 days with main meals (thus each Svetol subject received the desired daily amount of CGA’s: 400mg). For each subject – both control and treated – changes in body weight, BMI and Muscle Mass/Fat Mass (MM/FM) ratio were recorded at the study’s commencement and completion.
After the 60-day treatment period the Svetol subjects were found to have favorably reduced their bodyweight by an average of 5.7% (4.97kg/10.96lb) whereas the control group, who had received 200mg of maltodextrin in place of the Svetol twice a day, showed a mean reduction of 2.45kg/5.40lb. MM/FM ratio had also significantly improved for all treated participants.It was concluded that Svetol is able to exacerbate the effects of a bland low calorie diet in overweight subjects, a finding which, say the researchers, could be explained by an increase in the consumption of fatty deposits and an offsetting of their accumulation through Svetol brand Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE) supplementation.
Bioavailability of CGA
As revealed in the above two studies, Chlorogenic Acids (CGAs) appear to successfully modulate blood sugar levels to encourage body fat utilization to effectively manage body weight. In a more recent study researchers (3) sought to assess the exact bioavailability of CGAs in human subjects by evaluating the pharmacokinetic profile of CGAs in blood plasma and urine of 10 healthy adults (five male and five female) for eight hours after the consumption of a decaffeinated coffee extract containing 170mg of CGA. After acute ingestion of the coffee extract, each subject was to be tested for bio-available levels of CGA compounds and metabolites. It was discovered that over 30% of the active CGA compounds, including metabolites such as 5-CQA and caffeic acid, ingested were recovered in plasma (with peak levels from 0.5 to eight hours after treatment) and indentified in urine following treatment. This study, which showed that the major CGA compounds found in green coffee are highly absorbed and metabolized in humans, demonstrated for the first time the high bioavailability of green coffee, even considering the relatively low experimental doses of 170mg that were given.
Bioavailability is really the “gold standard” when it comes to supplementation. While there are many supplements that have promising attributes based on test tube studies, where they evaluate effectiveness outside the body, very few supplements show their activity and effectiveness in vivo, or in the body.
This study shows that the Chlorogenic Acids found in Green Coffee Bean Extract are taken up by, and effectively absorbed into, the body.A Dosage Study
A further study examined the efficacy and safety of high and low dose CGA supplementation on weight and body mass reduction among 16 overweight adult subjects, aged 22-46 (average BMI at the study’s commencement was 28.22). In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, 22 week crossover study each subject received either 1050mg or 700mg of the green coffee bean extract (GCBE), or a placebo, in separate six-week treatment periods (followed by a two-week ‘washout’ period to prevent preceding treatments influencing the results). Body weight, body fat percentage and BMI were measured to determine any positive effects. No dietary changes were made by any subject during this study. Consistent with findings from other studies into CGA supplementation, all subjects were found to have lowered their BMI (-2.92kg/M2), body weight (a mean reduction of 8kg or 17.64lb) and body fat percentage (4.4% on average). All participants reported no side effects associated with the green coffee extract consumption.
The researchers concluded that the product tested may be an “effective nutraceutical in reducing weight in pre-obese adults, and may be an inexpensive means of preventing obesity in overweight adults.”
As mentioned earlier, CGA supplementation has been shown to have a marked effect on weight loss through its inhibiting effect on glucose-6-phosphatase which, in turn, encourages the liberating of stored fat for energy. Though several studies’ findings supported such an action through human trials, further researchers (5) sought to determine whether a decaffeinated green coffee extract (Svetol) would inhibit hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase in vitro (studies conducted in laboratory conditions to isolate a component of an organism from its usual biological context). In this study, three concentrations were tested: the equivalent of 157mg, 315mg and 472mg (equivalent to the daily recommended Svetol intake) of Svetol per liter of solution. After the incubation of human liver microsomes (with or without Svetol) it was determined that Svetol competitively inhibited glucose-6-phosphatase. The researchers concluded that their observed results are primarily associated with post meal blood sugar regulation and the fat burning action Svetol has demonstrated in other studies.Conclusion
As outlined above, significant data has revealed that Svetol branded Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE) supplementation appears to not only retard the absorption of fats from the intestine but also to activate fat metabolism in the liver as well as boosting the metabolic rate for long periods. Along with its beneficial antioxidant properties and positive influence on blood sugar levels, CGA, most notably in the pure form Svetol, with its proven effectiveness, will undoubtedly aid many in their fight against stubborn body fat. With science on its side, this remarkable product, found in weight management supplements such as ALLMAX Nutrition’s Rapidcuts Femme, and in Rapidcuts Shredded, will, if used as prescribed, help to drive down the global obesity rate while improving health for many.
Sources
- Blum, J., Lemaire, B., &Lafay, S. “Svetol®, a decaffeinated green coffee extract, decreases the glycemia after an oral glucose test tolerance,” Nutrafoods, Submitted (2007).
- Dellalibera, S., O. Lemaire, B., & Lafay, S. “Le Svetol®, un extrait de café vert décaféiné, induit une perte de poids et augmente le ratio masse maigre sur masse grasse chez des volontaires en surcharge pondérale,” Phytothérapie, 3 (2006), 1-4.
- Farah, A., Monteiro, M., Donangelo, C., & Lafay, S. Chlorogenic Acids from Green Coffee Extract are Highly Bioavailable in Humans J. Nutr. December 2008 vol. 138 no. 12 2309-2315
- Vinson, J., A. Burnham, B., R. Nagendran, M., V. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, crossover study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a green coffee bean extract in overweight subjects Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy 2012:5 21–27
- Lafay, S., Henry-Vitrac, C., Merillon, J., & Vitrac, X. “Svetol®, a decaffeinated green coffee extract inhibits hepatic Glucose-6- phosphatase,” J Agric. Food Chem., Submitted.