Related Links

Featured Links





Recommended Products



 

 
Featured Articles

7 Excuses For Not Starting Up Your Weight Loss Diet
Changing habits is one of the most difficult challanges we human beings are facing. This also applies to changing food habits, and especially starting a weight loss diet, when you are used to eating what you want when you want it. When we feel defeated by ...

Health and Fitness for Life
Health and Fitness for Life===========================HealthHealth is a funny thing. It is given to us as a child and we enjoy it without any appreciation for having the ability to do what we want to physically. We run, jump, skip and just have a ball ...

Truths about Diet, Obesity, and $75 Billion
Sensible diet prevents obesity! Healthy living prevents most diseases! (Unfortunately, old age is not a disease.)These truths should be self evident.Yet recent shock headlines tell us that "medical problemscaused by obesity are costing U.S. tax payers $75 ...


Google
Bitter Orange - Ephedra in Disguise ? So Why Do People Still Take It ?
 

The facts about Bitter Orange are out. More research is being called for, but for the most part this is what we know so far:


1. Bitter Orange has been shown in some studies to be associated with weight loss, increased thermogenesis, metabolism and loss of fat mass. The results of some of these studies are questioned by some authorities;


2. Documented reports are starting to come in of cardiovascular events occurring associated with the use of products containing bitter orange (citrus aurantium, zhi-shi or whatever you want to call it);


3. The two major components of bitter orange are synephrine and octopomine. Synephrine is structurally similar to the ephedra extract which is now banned in many countries due to its adverse side effects and synephrine has been shown to cause cardiovascular events in animals.


So why are people still using it. It is easy to make the conclusion that they are unaware of it's ingredients and their effects, however, this is perhaps naive. Some people that take these types of fat burners are aware of the possible adverse effects that they may have on their bodies, however, sometimes go from one fat burner to the other, trying the different concoctions of herbs - hoping that it will cause rapid weight loss.


While the motivation for purchasing fat burning herbal products is obviously to lose weight - there is an extra pressure to lose weight fast, which is what these fat burners offer to their customers who may in some cases be grossly overweight and in risk categories for heart problems in the first place due to obesity issues. Fast weight loss is hardly ever permanent weight loss and never healthy weight loss.


There seems to be a common misconception that it is not as bad as ephedra. Over the past six years Health Canada received 16 reports of serious side effects involving tachycardia, cardiac arrest and black outs after products containing bitter orange were taken. Two of the patients concerned in these reports had died and had taken a combination of herbal supplements containing bitter orange, caffeine and ephedra. While 16 reports over six years does not sound like a whole heck of alot - these are only those from Canada, and are only those that were able to be linked to the herbal


supplements.


It is plain that this perceived "need" for herbal preparations containing either bitter orange or ephedra is an emotional one. In some cases some people are so desperate to get rid of their excess weight, and have tried just about every diet under the sun and have battled with it for years, with no good success and then finally found these products that quite obviously do have an effect - but unfortunately do have significant side effects, even if it is just jitteriness.


So what's the answer, well, there is no easy answer. The truth is that no fat burner should make you jittery. Weight loss, can be achieved without products containing bitter orange and those with persistent weight issues need to be consulting a doctor or dietition. In the end, it will probably end up costing less in the long run.


1. Preuss HG, DiFerdinando D, Bagchi M, Bagchi D. Citrus Aurantium as a thermogenic, weight-reduction replacement for ephedra: an overview J Med. 2002;33(1-4):247-64.


2. Fugh-Berman A, Myers A. Citrus aurantium, an ingredient of dietary supplements marketed for weight loss: current status of clinical and basic research. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2004 Sep;229(8):698-704.


3. Nykamp DL, Fackih MN, Compton AL. Possible association of acute lateral-wall myocardial infarction and bitter orange supplement. Ann Pharmacother. 2004 May;38(5):812-6. Epub 2004 Mar 16.


4. Penzak, S R : Jann, M W : Cold, J A : Hon, Y Y : Desai, H D : Gurley, B J Seville (sour) orange juice: synephrine content and cardiovascular effects in normotensive adults J-nat-prod. Washington, D.C. : American Society of Pharmacognosy. Jan 2001. v. 64 (1) p. 111-113.


5. Healthboards.com Feel jittery - Xenadrine EFX http://www.healthboards.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-111077.html






Copyright © 2004 Jenny Mathers All Rights Reserved.
Research resource for fat burning foods and supplements. Fat burning food research and information allowing you to take the guess work out of fat burning.
jennymathers@optusnet.com.au





News



CBS News

Understanding epilepsy "miracle" diet may lead to better treatments ...
CBS News
(CBS News) Children with epilepsy who don't respond well to anti-seizure medications are sometimes treated with a strict "ketogenic diet" that's high in fats and low in carbohydrates, including foods like bacon, hot dogs, butter and eggs.
Epilepsy: 'Miracle Diet' Prevents Seizures; Scientists May Know WhyABC News (blog)
Ketogenic Diet Could Help with Epilepsy TreatmentsZ6Mag
Reverse engineering epilepsy's 'miracle' dietScience Daily (press release)
U.S. News & World Report -The Inquisitr
all 24 news articles »

PR Web

hCGDietJourney Voted as the #1 hCG Diet Blog in USA According to Recent Survey
Houston Chronicle
hCGDietJourney was voted as the #1 resource to obtain information and ask questions on their hCG diet plan blog according to a recent survey of other hCG diet blogs. hCGDietJourney was voted the #1 best diet resource blog as compared to other blogs ...
Ask a doctor: When can I begin weight loss just using diet and exercise ...Chattanooga Times Free Press

all 7 news articles »

The Guardian

CRN Makes Statement Regarding New Study On Calcium And Heart Health
Daily Disruption
In response to the study published today in Heart Journal, “Associations of dietary calcium intake and calcium supplementation with myocardial infarction and stroke risk and overall cardiovascular mortality in the Heidelberg cohort of the European ...
CRN Reacts To New Study On Calcium And Heart HealthSacramento Bee
Study: Calcium supplements not good for the heartNurse.com
Calcium supplements increase risk of heart attacks, study findsLos Angeles Times
Natural Products INSIDER
all 330 news articles »

TopNews Arab Emirates

High-Fat Diets Have Pro-Depressive Effects
Food Product Design
"We are demonstrating for the first time that the chronic consumption of palatable, high-fat diets has pro-depressive effects." The research team reached this conclusion by feeding mice different kinds of food and monitoring how the diet affected the ...
Cheeseburger blues: High-fat foods may be making us depressedVancouver Sun
Fat-Rich Diet May Lead to DepressionTopNews Arab Emirates
Scientists start explaining Fat Bastard's vicious cycleMedical Xpress
Globe and Mail -Gizmodo
all 52 news articles »

Independent Online

Fad diets are just quackery
Independent Online
By Malachi O'Doherty Dieting makes you fat. It shouldn't be a secret, since there is a huge amount of scientific evidence that people who diet today gain weight tomorrow. Belfast - Dieting makes you fat. It shouldn't be a secret, since there is a huge ...

and more »