In addition to Ergonine's performing enhancing benefits, it also may posses some fat loss benefits. Here I will briefly review the mechanisms by which I think the combo of Ergonine + Target A2 will help create enhanced fat loss.
First, Target-A2
If you have read my other threads you are familiar with the process of lipolysis. If not let us review real quick. Essentially the catecholamine norepinephrine (NE) is released into the blood from the adrenal gland. When NE comes in contact with a fat cell it interacts with adrenergic receptors (AR) that are present on the cell. There are two kinds of AR on the fat cell, alpha & beta. If it binds to a beta-adrenoceptors a series of events takes place which ultimately results in the fatty acids being free'd from their glycerol backbone and diffuse through the cell membrane and enter into the blood. Now what abut the alpha-adrenoceptors? Well there exist an alpha receptor on the fat cell and an alpha-receptor on the vascular prejunctional terminals (this is where NE is being released from). The later one is the one we are concerned with. This one is known as the a2-adrenoceptor. When NE binds to the a2-adrenoceptor NE release is slowed down resulting in an inhibiting effect on NE mediated lipolysis. This is where Target-A2 comes in. By supplementing with Target-A2 we are able to antagonize or interfere with a2 activation.This results in more NE being released thus maximizing lipolysis.
Next, Choline & Carnitine from Ergonine
An important thing to consider is that fat loss doesn't stop at lipolysis. Once the fatty acids have been liberated they have to be oxidized (burned). If not they will be re-stored as fat. So we can think of fat loss as a 2 step process. The liberation of stored fatty acids (lipolysis) is step one and burning of those fatty acids (fat oxidization) as step 2. So we know how Target can enhance the lipolysis part of the fat loss equation but what about the fat oxidization part? This is where Ergonine comes in. Specifically Choline & Carnitine. A few years back a paper was published examing the effects of the combo carnitine, choline and caffeine had on body fat (Caffeine, Carnitine and Choline Supplementation of Rats Decreases Body Fat and Serum Leptin Concentration as Does Exercise). What the authors found was that supplementation with the stack (with or without exercise) resulted in decreased body fat levels via enhanced oxidation of fat. The caveat with this study was it was done in rats but likely the authors also did a follow up study with humans (Carnitine and Choline Supplementation with Exercise Alter Carnitine Profiles, Biochemical Markers of Fat Metabolism and Serum Leptin Concentration in Healthy Women). This study used healthy non-obese women instead of rats. You might be wondering, why did't I lead with the human study. Well it is because the human study had some significant differences as compared to the rodent study and really isn't a fat loss study per se. The goal of the human study was more about examining the mechanisms further and to see if they existed in humans. This is a great example of why when you are making evidence-based decisions you don't just relay on a single study. Taking the data from both of these studies we can conclude that Choline & Carnitine, when combined with something to maximize lipolysis, can result in increased fat utilization (aka fat burning!).
So by combining Target-A2 with Ergonine, we can create an increase both of the steps of fat loss. Target-A2 for increasing lipolysis and Ergonine to increase fat oxidization. NOTE: This will prolly come across as common sense "duh" comment to a lot of you but I will say it anyway. To truly maximize the benefits from these products, you must exercise. Remember there are no miracles. You must also put in the work via exercising and optimizing your diet
Another ingredient in Ergonine that may help improve body composition is Betaine
I have an older post here containing some of the research that has been done on betaine supplementation. In addition to increasing strength and power performance, there is some evidence for positive body composition changes from betaine. See this thread-> http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplement-science/234915-all-aboard-betaine.html which covers a study (that was published by a AM member RE: ZiR RED ) that demonstrates the positive body composition effects of betaine supplementation.
The exact MOA is yet to be determined (unless there has been new research that I have not yet seen) but it looks like betaine supplementation may improve body composition and strength by: improving insulin and IGF-1 signalling directly and indirectly (by reducing resistin production); increasing GH output by building up in the hypothalamus and elevating GHrH; by increasing CPT concentrations and therefore improving fatty acid translocation into the mitochondria; and by reducing lipogenic enzyme activity (thus acting as a nutrient partitioner). Betaine also increases methylation capacity which will reduce Hcy-Thiol and thus improve protein synthesis. Lastly, there is also an idea circulating that betaine will suppress lipogenic enzyme activation and gene expression and lead to nutrient partitioning (this is the reasoning why betaine is commonly seen in animal feed)
So there you have it. The reasons why I think a stack consisting of Ergonine and Target-A2 will help improve body composition.
First, Target-A2
If you have read my other threads you are familiar with the process of lipolysis. If not let us review real quick. Essentially the catecholamine norepinephrine (NE) is released into the blood from the adrenal gland. When NE comes in contact with a fat cell it interacts with adrenergic receptors (AR) that are present on the cell. There are two kinds of AR on the fat cell, alpha & beta. If it binds to a beta-adrenoceptors a series of events takes place which ultimately results in the fatty acids being free'd from their glycerol backbone and diffuse through the cell membrane and enter into the blood. Now what abut the alpha-adrenoceptors? Well there exist an alpha receptor on the fat cell and an alpha-receptor on the vascular prejunctional terminals (this is where NE is being released from). The later one is the one we are concerned with. This one is known as the a2-adrenoceptor. When NE binds to the a2-adrenoceptor NE release is slowed down resulting in an inhibiting effect on NE mediated lipolysis. This is where Target-A2 comes in. By supplementing with Target-A2 we are able to antagonize or interfere with a2 activation.This results in more NE being released thus maximizing lipolysis.
Next, Choline & Carnitine from Ergonine
An important thing to consider is that fat loss doesn't stop at lipolysis. Once the fatty acids have been liberated they have to be oxidized (burned). If not they will be re-stored as fat. So we can think of fat loss as a 2 step process. The liberation of stored fatty acids (lipolysis) is step one and burning of those fatty acids (fat oxidization) as step 2. So we know how Target can enhance the lipolysis part of the fat loss equation but what about the fat oxidization part? This is where Ergonine comes in. Specifically Choline & Carnitine. A few years back a paper was published examing the effects of the combo carnitine, choline and caffeine had on body fat (Caffeine, Carnitine and Choline Supplementation of Rats Decreases Body Fat and Serum Leptin Concentration as Does Exercise). What the authors found was that supplementation with the stack (with or without exercise) resulted in decreased body fat levels via enhanced oxidation of fat. The caveat with this study was it was done in rats but likely the authors also did a follow up study with humans (Carnitine and Choline Supplementation with Exercise Alter Carnitine Profiles, Biochemical Markers of Fat Metabolism and Serum Leptin Concentration in Healthy Women). This study used healthy non-obese women instead of rats. You might be wondering, why did't I lead with the human study. Well it is because the human study had some significant differences as compared to the rodent study and really isn't a fat loss study per se. The goal of the human study was more about examining the mechanisms further and to see if they existed in humans. This is a great example of why when you are making evidence-based decisions you don't just relay on a single study. Taking the data from both of these studies we can conclude that Choline & Carnitine, when combined with something to maximize lipolysis, can result in increased fat utilization (aka fat burning!).
So by combining Target-A2 with Ergonine, we can create an increase both of the steps of fat loss. Target-A2 for increasing lipolysis and Ergonine to increase fat oxidization. NOTE: This will prolly come across as common sense "duh" comment to a lot of you but I will say it anyway. To truly maximize the benefits from these products, you must exercise. Remember there are no miracles. You must also put in the work via exercising and optimizing your diet
Another ingredient in Ergonine that may help improve body composition is Betaine
I have an older post here containing some of the research that has been done on betaine supplementation. In addition to increasing strength and power performance, there is some evidence for positive body composition changes from betaine. See this thread-> http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplement-science/234915-all-aboard-betaine.html which covers a study (that was published by a AM member RE: ZiR RED ) that demonstrates the positive body composition effects of betaine supplementation.
The exact MOA is yet to be determined (unless there has been new research that I have not yet seen) but it looks like betaine supplementation may improve body composition and strength by: improving insulin and IGF-1 signalling directly and indirectly (by reducing resistin production); increasing GH output by building up in the hypothalamus and elevating GHrH; by increasing CPT concentrations and therefore improving fatty acid translocation into the mitochondria; and by reducing lipogenic enzyme activity (thus acting as a nutrient partitioner). Betaine also increases methylation capacity which will reduce Hcy-Thiol and thus improve protein synthesis. Lastly, there is also an idea circulating that betaine will suppress lipogenic enzyme activation and gene expression and lead to nutrient partitioning (this is the reasoning why betaine is commonly seen in animal feed)
So there you have it. The reasons why I think a stack consisting of Ergonine and Target-A2 will help improve body composition.