Ep. 254 - Do Fat Burners Actually Work?

Happy Holidays cultists! We sincerely thank you all for joining us every week to explore the history, science and culture of the iron and we look forward to doing it more in 2024! In this episode, Omar and Helms discuss fat burners: supplements that supposedly enhance fat loss either by increasing energy expenditure and/or by blunting hunger and reducing energy intake. You've probably seen dozens marketed over the years if you've been around the fitness industry for any decent length of time, but do they actually work? In this episode we discuss the science of fat burners. A recent study coming out of none other than Dr. Grant Tinsley's lab showed that a commercially available thermogenesis fat burner did seem to do something, but how meaningful it was and whether it actually would lead to fat loss is up for debate. Finally, we discuss where the data lies broadly on this whole class of supplements.

00:00 Not off to the best start… Fuelling conspiracy theories and reviewing reviews

11:31 Getting into the topic of fat burners

Siedler 2023 Chronic Thermogenic Dietary Supplement Consumption: Effects on Body Composition, Anthropometrics, and Metabolism https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38004200/

22:05 The ingredients in the "matrix" and individual variation in energy expenditure

33:02 The curious Eric Helms case: REE, BF%, and fat burners during prep

41:00 Other fat burners on the market and the effects of caffeine

Panek-Shirely 2018 Caffeine Transiently Affects Food Intake at Breakfast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30033159/

Tabrizi 2019 The effects of caffeine intake on weight loss: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30335479/

52:07 Interpreting meta-analyses in the area

Golzarand 2018 Effect of green tea, caffeine and capsaicin supplements on the anthropometric indices: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1756464618301415

Clark 2021 Comparing effectiveness of fat burners and thermogenic supplements to diet and exercise for weight loss and cardiometabolic health: Systematic review and meta-analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33427571/

1:01:41 Closing out with some take homes

Ludy 2012 The Effects of Capsaicin and Capsiate on Energy Balance: Critical Review and Meta-analyses of Studies in Humans https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22038945/