We are constantly bombarded with supplement companies pushing their new products on us. You cannot surf the internet without seeing the latest and greatest muscle building or weight loss pill advertisement. Through the use of fitness supermodels and outlandish claims regarding the effectiveness of their products the emotional effect that some of these products have on us can be very powerful. At times we can be so desperate for outside help regarding out fitness goals and weight loss dreams that we often believe all the hype surrounding a product. Because the supplement industry is not regulated, the consumer has a hard time distinguishing between the supplements that are all hype and which ones may potentially help your fitness or weight loss needs.

When making any decision regarding purchasing supplements, always be very skeptical regarding the outlandish claims that are made about them. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Even if the product has some scientific backing, no one product will be that magic bullet or pill that will substitute sound diet and training practices.

Many of us as we age have a harder time keeping unwanted pounds off. The hormonal changes within our bodies make it very tough to eat the things we used to and still keep as lean as we once were when we were in our 20’s and early 30’s. In addition, the lifestyle we lead as we age precludes us to eat less healthy. Raising children is very difficult when both parents are juggling work, family life, sporting events, etc. As a result of this and the fact that fast food and other very unhealthy food choices surround us, many of us have found ourselves at minimum overweight while others obese with complicated conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Obesity can result in shortening one’s life span by 8 to 10 years while for every 33 extra pounds the risk of death increases by 30%.

As said earlier, there is no substitute for changing one’s lifestyle through proper exercise and diet when attempting to drop unwanted pounds however there may be a supplement that can accelerate positive changes within one’s body to decrease body fat. Much research has been done linking coffee consumption and its positive effects on the storage of fat and carbohydrate. Because research conducted with both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee have been positive, scientists have looked to the chlorogenic acid compound in coffee as the possible benefactor (Green Coffee Bean Extract).

Research within the last 10 years has found chorogenic acid’s positive effects on glucose uptake, lowering blood sugar, and inhibiting enzymes that break down starches into sugar. As importantly, it has also been found that ingestion of chorogenic acid reduces body weight, body mass and body fat in pre-obese, healthy subjects (Vinson et. al, 2012). This study used 16 subjects whose mean body fat was 28.1% and had a range in body mass index (BMI) between 25-30. What was important about this study was the fact that it was a crossover design. What that meant was that during the 22 weeks the same subjects who were on the high dose of chlorogenic acid (6 weeks) crossed over to the low dose (6 weeks) and placebo group (6 week) as well. As a result it could be determined which condition actually had an effect on the same subjects. During the high dose phase, subjects ingested 350mg of green coffee extract 3 times per day while the low dose group ingested 350mg of green coffee extract 2 times per day. There were no changes in caloric intake by the subjects during the 22 week study. Striking results were found for both the low and high dose groups:

a) Decrease in body weight of 17.6lbs (average)

b) Average BMI decrease of nearly 3%

c) Decrease in body fat by an average of over 4%

d) No significant changes while in the placebo group

It is important to note that all 16 subjects lost weight, decreased % body fat and reduced their BMI. In addition, there did not appear to be any side effects associated with the supplement.

It is important to note that even though there appears to be compelling research as to the efficacy of this product, it may not work for everyone. It is also not a substitute for proper diet and exercise. However, the combination of all may prove to be worth the effort and money (about $30.00/month) in significantly reducing body fat, weight and other important health markers.

References:

Vinson et al. (2012). Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, crossover study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of green coffee bean extract in overweight subjects. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy, 5, 21-27

Three ways to enter:

Follow the official Scarlet Caps Twitter handle: @ScarletCaps Take a photo of yourself or a photo with friends rocking the red and showing your Caps spirit! Tweet the photo including the hashtag #ScarletRocksTheRed Tweet anytime between the dates listed above using the hashtag

What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick. Remember that line from elections past?

If it were only that simple. A hockey mom is so much more, from chauffeur to cheerleader, confidant to counselor. (And that’s just at the rink.)

There is no shortage of attributes used to describe the indispensible and invaluable contributions that moms make to the hockey world. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a small army hockey moms (and dads) to raise a hockey player.

Continue reading the full story on USAHockeyMagazine.com »