Abstract
BackgroundIncreasing metabolism is a primary focus of many commercially available dietary supplements marketed to support weight management. Caffeine (e.g. anhydrous and herbal) and green tea are key ingredients in such products, augmenting resting energy expenditure (REE) and improving reported mood states (alertness, fatigue, focus, etc.). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a thermogenic dietary supplement (DBX) on REE, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), reported measures of alertness, focus, energy, concentration, fatigue, and hunger, as well as the general safety of the product based on electrocardiogram (ECG) and hemodynamic responses in habitual caffeine consumers.MethodsSix male and six female subjects (mean ± SD; 22.50 ± 3.22 years; 76.94 ± 14.78 kg; 22.7 ± 9.5% body fat), physically active (≥12 months), and moderate habitual caffeine consumers (<200 mg/day) received either two capsules of DBX containing 340 mg of total caffeine plus green tea extract, yerba mate extract, carnitine tartrate and other active ingredients or a placebo (PLC) in a double-blinded, crossover design. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), REE, RER and perceived mood states were measured at baseline and then hourly for four hours after ingesting either treatment.ResultsResting energy expenditure was significantly increased at all four time points and significant increases were determined for perceived alertness (p = 0.026) and focus (p = 0.05) at hour 1 and for energy at 1 and 2 hours after treatment for the DBX group (p = 0.008 and p = 0.017, respectively). Additionally, perceived fatigue was decreased at the hour 1 assessment (p = 0.010). No significant differences were seen between DBX and placebo for hunger, anxiety, HR, BP, ECG patterns or RER.ConclusionsThe results of this investigation support that the proprietary blend of this thermogenic aid is capable of increasing REE for four hours post-ingestion while supporting increased focus, alertness, and energy as well as decreasing fatigue without promoting anxiety or causing significant changes in HR, BP, or ECG measurements in habitual caffeine consumers.
Highlights
Increasing metabolism is a primary focus of many commercially available dietary supplements marketed to support weight management
One of the primary reasons for taking a thermogenic aid is to support weight loss and body leaning [1]. Many of these products found on the market, and available to the general public, contain synthetic caffeine and herbal sources, green tea extract, and other purported metabolic-supporting ingredients such as carnitine and capsaicin
The increase in energy expenditure reported by multiple researchers [6,7,8,9] positions caffeine and green tea-containing supplements as a beneficial tool to offset the reduction in energy expenditure associated with weight loss [10,11,12]
Summary
Increasing metabolism is a primary focus of many commercially available dietary supplements marketed to support weight management. Caffeine (e.g. anhydrous and herbal) and green tea are key ingredients in such products, augmenting resting energy expenditure (REE) and improving reported mood states (alertness, fatigue, focus, etc.). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a thermogenic dietary supplement (DBX) on REE, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), reported measures of alertness, focus, energy, concentration, fatigue, and hunger, as well as the general safety of the product based on electrocardiogram (ECG) and hemodynamic responses in habitual caffeine consumers. One of the primary reasons for taking a thermogenic aid is to support weight loss and body leaning [1] Many of these products found on the market, and available to the general public, contain synthetic caffeine and herbal sources (e.g. guarana, yerbe mate), green tea extract, and other purported metabolic-supporting ingredients such as carnitine and capsaicin (red pepper extract). One important consideration in caffeine consumption studies is the control of habitual intake as individuals can become acclimated to caffeine, influencing their physiological responses to a specific dose
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