Diet pills, fat burners, weight loss aids, appetite suppressants, whatever you want to call them are, there’s no shortage of pills, powders, and potions marketed to enhance weight loss.

When you consider that ⅔ of the adults in the United States and ⅓ of the world’s population are overweight and that approximately 40% of the population is on a weight loss diet at any given time, it’s easy to understand why fat burners are in high demand. 

Yet, by and large, most “fat burners” are nothing more than over-priced placebos that do little to actually help people lose weight.

We’ve assembled a list containing 3 of the best natural weight loss supplements backed by research.

Let’s get right to it!

 

3 Great Natural Weight Loss Supplements

Caffeine

Without question, the most popular fat loss supplement is caffeine. It’s been studied thousands of times, proven safe when consumed in reasonable doses (the same of which can’t be said for other common weight loss aids), and effect.

You know caffeine gives you greater energy and alertness, but have you ever stopped to think about how caffeine increases energy?

The primary way in which caffeine exerts its energy and mood-enhancing effects is through antagonism of adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that’s associated with feelings of fatigue and lethargy.

FYI, adenosine also forms the “backbone” of ATP.

Since caffeine resembles the shape of adenosine, it can dock to adenosine receptors and “block” adenosine from binding. In doing so, caffeine increases wakefulness and alertness.[1]

But that’s not all. 

Second, to antagonizing adenosine receptors, caffeine also increases the production of dopamine (a mood and motivation molecule) as well as adrenaline -- one of the most important fat-burning catecholamines in the body.[2] 

More specifically, adrenaline can cause an increase in an individual’s metabolic rate.

Caffeine also enhances weight loss through a number of indirect mechanisms as well. Studies demonstrate that caffeine may help[3,4,5,6]:

• Stimulate lipolysis
• Increase energy expenditure
• Reduce appetite
• Enhance the effects of other fat burning supplements
• Boost exercise performance (which helps increase the number of calories burned during training)

Yohimbine

Yohimbine is a powerful alkaloid extracted from a species of African plant called Pausinystalia johimbe ( or simply yohimbe). Research has shown it to be an effective supplement for losing weight, but the manner in which yohimbine helps burn fat is a bit tricky.[7]

Adipocytes (your fat cells) contain two types of receptors that dictate fat storage (alpha receptors) or fat release (beta receptors).[8] Lipolysis is the process by which fatty acids stored in fat cells are released into the bloodstream to be burned for energy.

Now, when fat burning catecholamines, such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, bind to beta receptors, fat cells “unlock”, initiating lipolysis, and stored fatty acids are available for beta-oxidation. However, when catecholamines bind to alpha receptors, lipolysis is for all intents and purposes stunted.[9]

These receptors are at the core of your “stubborn fat” problems, as the areas of fat on your body that are the most difficult to lose contain high amounts of alpha receptors and lower amounts of beta receptors.

Now, here’s where yohimbine comes in as the ultimate “stubborn fat” burner.

Yohimbine blocks alpha receptors[10], which leaves more catecholamines available to bind to beta receptors, free the stored fatty acids, and allow you to burn stubborn belly fat.

Now, yohimbine isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, it does come with one “catch” -- elevated insulin levels reduce its effectiveness.[11] 

In other words, if you want more than just the stimulatory actions of yohimbine, you need to take it in a fasted state.[12]

Yohimbine’s benefits extend beyond supporting fat loss -- research shows that it may also improve exercise performance[13] as well as reduce physical fatigue and increase time to exhaustion.[14]

Forskolin

Forskolin is the bioactive compound present in the Ayurvedic plant Coleus forskohlii. It has a long history of use in Traditional medicine for combating disorders of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

Studies have shown that supplementing with forskolin may increase levels of a molecule known as cyclic adenosine monophosphate, or cAMP for short.

cAMP serves as a very important intracellular "messenger” that impacts numerous physiological processes including the metabolism of sugar, fats, and glycogen.[15]

cAMP and ATP (the cellular “currency” of energy production) have a rather unique relationship inside the cell. 

When ATP levels are high, cAMP signals to the cell that it has plenty of energy. This tells your body it needs to store nutrients and build tissue.

However, when cAMP levels are elevated, it signals to the cell that ATP is low, which causes the cell to initiate processes to generate more ATP by using its stored energy (i.e. fat).

Forskolin triggers the enzyme adenyl cyclase, which converts ATP to cAMP, leading to a significant increase in the amount of cAMP in a cell, subsequently igniting the energy-burning processes.[16] 

Studies have demonstrated that supplementation with forskolin speeds up fat loss and boosts testosterone levels.[17,18]

Takeaway

There’s no shortage of overpriced, underdosed products claiming to be “natural” weight loss supplements on the market.

That’s why we created this list.

To point you in the right direction of which ingredients to consider when looking for added weight loss support.

If you’re looking for pre-formulated, premium-quality products that support weight loss without the jitters or uncomfortable feelings of other supplements, Primeval Labs supplies a complete arsenal of both stimulant and non-stim weight loss supplements, including Pyretic and Pyretic Black.

References

1. Ferre S , et al. "Adenosine A1-A2A Receptor Heteromers: New Targets for Caffeine in the Brain. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information.
2. Graham TE and Spriet LL. "Metabolic, Catecholamine, and Exercise Performance Responses to Various Doses of Caffeine. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information.
3. Acheson KJ , et al. "Caffeine and Coffee: Their Influence on Metabolic Rate and Substrate Utilization in Normal Weight and Obese Individuals. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7369170.
4. "Metabolic Effects of Caffeine in Humans: Lipid Oxidation or Futile Cycling?" OUP Academic, 1 Jan. 2004.
5. Caffeine reduces spontaneous energy intake in men but not in women
6. Pasman WJ , et al. "The Effect of Different Dosages of Caffeine on Endurance Performance Time. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information.
7. SM, Ostojic. "Yohimbine: the Effects on Body Composition and Exercise Performance in Soccer Players. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17214405.
8. RJ, Lefkowitz. "Direct Binding Studies of Adrenergic Receptors: Biochemical, Physiologic, and Clinical Implications. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38720.
9. AD, Strosberg. "Structure, Function, and Regulation of Adrenergic Receptors. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8401205.
10. Millan MJ , et al. "Agonist and Antagonist Actions of Yohimbine As Compared to Fluparoxan at Alpha(2)-adrenergic Receptors (AR)s, Serotonin (5-HT)(1A), 5-HT(1B), 5-HT(... - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10611634.
11. Galitzky J , et al. "Alpha 2-antagonist Compounds and Lipid Mobilization: Evidence for a Lipid Mobilizing Effect of Oral Yohimbine in Healthy Male Volunteers. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2906290.
12. MF, McCarty. "Pre-exercise Administration of Yohimbine May Enhance the Efficacy of Exercise Training As a Fat Loss Strategy by Boosting Lipolysis. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12323115.
13. "(PDF) Ergogenic Effects of Yohimbine: Standardized Cycling? Ergogenic Effects of Yohimbine: Standardized Cycling Clinical Study." ResearchGate, www.researchgate.net/publication/273061682_Ergogenic_Effects_of_Yohimbine_Standardized_Cycling_Ergogenic_Effects_of_Yohimbine_Standardized_Cycling_Clinical_Study.
14. Cimolai N and Cimolai T. "Yohimbine Use for Physical Enhancement and Its Potential Toxicity. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22432773.
15. Walsh DA and Van Patten SM. "Multiple Pathway Signal Transduction by the CAMP-dependent Protein Kinase. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8001734.
16. Litosh I , et al. "Forskolin As an Activator of Cyclic AMP Accumulation and Lipolysis in Rat Adipocytes. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6289066.
17. Godard MP , et al. "Body Composition and Hormonal Adaptations Associated with Forskolin Consumption in Overweight and Obese Men. - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16129715.
18. Jagtap M, Chandola HM, Ravishankar B. Clinical efficacy of Coleus forskohlii (Willd.) Briq. (Makandi) in hypertension of geriatric population. Ayu. 2011;32(1):59-65