The obesity epidemic has long been growing out of control, with over a third of the United States population being considered obese. While obesity is widely considered merely a cosmetic condition, many don’t think about the extreme damage being caused internally by carrying such large amounts of extra weight, as well as engaging in unhealthy dietary and exercise habits.
Obesity, as a disease, is among the most deadly on the planet. According to the National Institute of Health, obesity and overweight together are just behind tobacco use, and are the second leading cause of preventable death in the nation with an estimated 300,000 people yearly dying from related illnesses.
As a catalyst, obesity causes very serious illnesses like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, stroke, and even some types of cancer. High blood pressure, dubbed the “silent killer” by members of the health community, can easily be caused by obesity. Too much extra fat in the body increases the amount of extra capillaries that must transport blood throughout the body. This coupled with hardening of the arteries and artery blockage forces the heart to work much harder, eventually leading to heart damage and failure.
As a catalyst, obesity causes very serious illnesses like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, stroke, and even some types of cancer. High blood pressure, dubbed the “silent killer” by members of the health community, can easily be caused by obesity. Too much extra fat in the body increases the amount of extra capillaries that must transport blood throughout the body. This coupled with hardening of the arteries and artery blockage forces the heart to work much harder, eventually leading to heart damage and failure.
Diabetes is another deadly disease caused by obesity. Some may think that it is treatable, which it is, but this disease places much undue stress on the kidneys and body in general, and even with treatment will lead to deadly symptoms.
Now, more than ever, members of the medical field are exploring more options to get the obesity epidemic under control. While diet and exercise are always at the top of the list of recommendations, there are other diet aids that can help to maximize efforts and generate more weight loss while preserving health.
Raspberry ketones are a product that have been on the market for some time, but are still being studied for efficacy and safety, with great results.
Raspberry ketones are chemicals that are naturally found in red raspberries. These phenolic compounds are what give the raspberries their aroma. Ketones are not only found in raspberries. They are also found in kiwi, peaches, grapes, apples, other berries, and vegetables like rhubarb. These unique compounds are even found in certain tree bark like the bark of yew, pine, and maple trees.
Raspberry ketone is not just used for weight loss, it is also used in cosmetics, other foods, and as a flavoring agent, but because natural raspberry ketone is extremely expensive –a kilogram can cost as much as $20,000- most companies use synthetic raspberry ketone.
Research has shown that these aroma compounds may help to boost the metabolism, also affecting the production of adiponectin, a hormone in the body that regulates metabolism.
One study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition evaluated the efficacy of a multi-ingredient weight loss product containing raspberry ketone on 70 overweight men and women. This weight loss product contained a mixture of primarily raspberry ketone, but also caffeine, capsaicin, garlic, ginger and Citrus aurantium.
Using a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind design, 70 obese but otherwise healthy subjects were given either a weight loss product in question, or placebo, being tested for changes in things like body composition, serum adipocytokines (adiponectin, resistin, leptin, TNF-α, IL-6) and markers of health including heart rate and blood pressure.
While only 45 participants completed the study, those who did complete it showed significant improvement in body weight, fat mass, lean mass, waist girth, hip girth, and energy levels, without any changes or significant differences in dietary intake, systemic hemodynamics or clinical blood chemistries, and in addition “During the first 4 weeks, effects/trends for maintaining elevated serum leptin (P < 0.03) and decreased serum resistin (P < 0.08) in the METABO group vs. placebo were also observed.” Leptin is a protein produced by fatty tissue in the body, and is responsible for regulating fat storage. Resistin has been found to link obesity with type 2 diabetes, and is produced fatty tissue as well, but leads to insulin resistance. This hormone is linked to type 2 diabetes because it is assumed that thiazolidinediones may work via PPARg receptors to switch on or off a fat cell specific gene that is involved in insulin mediated signaling pathways. This study is great news for those who believe raspberry ketone to be an effective weight loss supplement, and also provides support to its contractors who were hesitant to get behind the compound due to no human trial evidence. Researchers concluded in this study that the administration of this weight loss product, containing mostly raspberry ketones, is a safe and effective adjunct to an 8 week diet and exercise weight loss plan, and helps to improve body composition, as well as waist and hip girth. One of the most talked about properties of raspberry ketone is its ability to help the body burn fat more effectively. Studies have shown, like one published in Planta Medica, that raspberry ketone increases both lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation, specifically preventing “high-fat diet-induced elevation in body weight and to increase lipolysis in white adipocytes.” Researchers investigate the ability of raspberry ketone to prevent secretion of adiponectin, lipolysis, and fatty acid oxidation in 3T3-L1, and found that raspberry ketone increased lipolysis, the breakdown of fats and other lipids by hydrolysis to release fatty acids, significantly in adipose cells, the body fat cells. Further blood tests showed that raspberry ketone, like other studies, “increased both the expression and the secretion of adiponectin, an adipocytokine mainly expressed and secreted by adipose tissue.” In this way, raspberry ketone acts as a metabolism booster, speeding up the amount of fat the body turns to energy, and regulating the amount of fat stored in the body. While raspberry ketone, like other potent weight loss aids, shows great promise to help the body burn more fat and reduce body weight, it is always best to supplement diet aids with improved nutrition and exercise, and raspberry ketone has shown great promise, both in efficacy and safety, when combined with diet and exercise. Everyone is looking for the magic weight loss bullet, to end obesity once and for all, but the plain truth is that it doesn’t exist, and may never exist, so the best way to lose a few pounds, or a hundred pounds or more and get back on the track to good health is to put in the work and use raspberry ketone as they are intended, a supplement that can help you lose weight more quickly and safely.
