When fasting, fuel sources switch from carbohydrates and fats to mainly fats, and fatty acids are released from adipocytes. In the liver, they are either reesterified to triglycerides and form very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), which then go on to restore in adipocytes or go to cardiac and skeletal muscle for energy. They can also be broken down through beta-oxidation to form ketones. PPAR-alpha mediates the genes controlling fatty acid uptake, beta-oxidation, and gamma-oxidation, which are upregulated when in a fasted state. TTA is a PPARalpha agonist, meaning it activates these receptors. Thus, you experience the same benefits even if you are in a fed state (9,15-18). PPAR-alpha also down-regulates apolipoprotein C-III which inhibits triglyceride hydrolysis, further enhancing lipid oxidation (2).
TTA also increases the activity of enzymes of the carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) sytem (9), which shuttles the newly freed up fatty acids into mitochondria to be burned for fuel (10). This system is highly underestimated in a fat loss quest, and it's activity is depressed with increased fat. Propionyl-LCarnitine (PLCAR) was added to further stimulate the CPT system (11), and is converted into propionylcoenzyme A and free carnitine (12). PLCAR has also been suspected to scavenge free radicals, as well as protect DNA from UV damage (12).
