idk why everyone is so anti-cardio these days. yes granted if i was running countless hours daily and eating a poor diet with inadequate calories i wouldnt gain . but with that said why change something that works? ive been steadily gaining ever since march and going from 81 lbs to 128 with minimal fat gain has got to show some dedication on my part to meticulous diet and training should it? I know all my buddies think im crazy for planning everything i eat two days in advance and weighing out my food so that i can keep track of every single calorie , macro by macro, so i can find what works and what does not. but anyways since my new favorite nutrient partitioner is HCA i thought id post some info on it before everyone assumes HCA is only good for cutting. while it is excellent for cutting it is perfect for lean bulking or recomping IMO. and since i needed to take a break from berberine i found HCA.
STOPS PRODUCTION OF NEW FAT
HCA acts as a lipogenic inhibitor meaning that it inhibits the production of fat in the body. It has been demonstrated that this amazing extract has the ability to reduce fat production by 40-70% up to 12 hours after eating a meal. It does this by attaching itself to a compound known as citrate lyase. Citrate lyase is an enzyme necessary for the production of the building blocks of fat, Malonyl Coenzyme A. By rendering citrate lyase inactive, Malonyl Coenzyme A cannot be made and so fat is not synthesized.
ACCELERATED FAT BURNING
Low levels of Malonyl Coenzyme A triggers another fat reducing reaction. Put simply, when your body is not making fat it likes to burn fat. The low level of Malonyl Coenzyme A activates the oxidation of fat in the liver and adipose tissues. This accelerated fat burning (thermogenesis) is the most important effect of HCA for fat loss.
Increased gluconeogenesis and larger glycogen stores in the liver seem to signal the brain that the body is full. In addition, enhanced gluconeogenesis counter acts lowered blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
INCREASED METABOLIC RATE
Metabolic energy is necessary in order to synthesize new glucose. Thus, whenever gluconeogenesis is stimulated, metabolic rate increases (Flatt JP Biochem of Energy Expenditure, Bray GA, London 1978, pp 211-228). This increases the expenditure of calories in the body.
PROTEIN SPARING -
In a negative calorie balance, that is , when more calories are burned than ingested, stored fat and protein are oxidized to meet the body’s metabolic demands. It is preferable that fat rather than protein be burned during this state. But during dieting (restricted calorie intake) up to 30% of the weight reduction can come from muscle loss. HCA stimulates fat burning while simultaneously retarding protein breakdown. This minimizes the loss of muscle. It does this because of its effect on ketone bodies - which slow the rate at which protein is broken down in skeletal muscle (Sherwin RS et al J Clin, Invest 1975, 55:1382-1390). HCA accelerates the rate of ketone production. The glucose formed from gluconeogenesis stimulates the secretion of Insulin. Insulin is more anabolic than Testosterone and thus the breakdown of protein in the muscle tissue is inhibited (Sherwin RS et al J Clin Invest 1975 55:1382-1390). By maintaining more muscle, as well as looking better, the body will burn more fat. The greater the lean mass, the faster the metabolic rate and the less that calories have to be cut back. This makes dieting easier.
LOWERS CHOLESTEROL
HCA reduces LDL (Berkhout TA et al, Biochem J 1990; 272:181-186) (the bad cholesterol) and triglycerides(Sullivan AC et al, Am J Clin Nutr 1977; 30: 777-784). It is thought that this lowering of the production of both cholesterol and fatty acids is a result of HCA’s effects on the metabolism.
INCREASING THE EFFECTS OF HCA
Two substances that have both been demonstrated to enhance the effects of HCA are L-Carnitine and Chromium.
L-Carnitine, a naturally occurring Amino Acid, becomes supercharged when paired with HCA, picking up fats and throwing them into the body’s furnace, where they are burned and used as energy. L-Carnitine is essential in the transfer of long chain fatty acids into the mitochondria of the cells, (furnace part of cell).
Chromium is a key mineral that “keeps insulin levels in check” by making the hormone more efficient at regulating blood sugar levels (US Dept of Agriculture).
A number of clinical trials have been performed including an eight week double blind control study in 1991. The people who took HCA in combination with Chromium lost an average of approximately 5 kg (11.1 pounds) per person(Anthony Conty, MD 1991 Hilton Head Study: Lipodex - 2). This finding was confirmed by a 1993 trial (11.48 lbs)(Anthony Conty, MD 1993 Allendale Study: Lipotrol/Actotherm).
