Metabolic Thyrolean

Metabolic Thyrolean:
A potential adjutant to Fat loss and ECA products


As many of us have learned all too well, losing fat is a lot easier said than done. More importantly however, is the fact that it's not all that difficult to lose weight-in the form of muscle, water, fat, and bone-by starving yourself. The trick of course is keeping the muscle while losing the fat. That takes great deal more thought and planning to achieve. The distinction between fat loss and weight loss has been missing for too long in the mainstream media and is one of several reasons we have a population of overfat confused people.

The point of this article is to discuss a potentially promising new product that could help the hard training bodybuilder or general fitness buff realize their goals of less bodyfat while keeping the hard earned muscle mass. Now the intent of this article is not to go over rehashed information on topics you have all read about before, such as ECA stacks, Peptide FM, reduced carbohydrate and/or CKD diets, flax oil, as well as various other supplements and dietary tricks for fat loss. [FYI: I was, as some of you might remember, the first "nutritional theorist" type to bring flax oil to the attention of bodybuilders and other athletes for the purpose of fat loss. What you may not know was that my first article on the use of flax oil was turned down flat, and that one editor told me I was crazy for pushing the idea of taking in extra fat from flax oil to lose bodyfat. Of course that editor went on to run one of the most popular web sites on the internet and if I could think of a word that rhymed with testosterone I would use it...but I digress.]

Fat burners or fat Blockers?

Before I get into that topic however, we have to look at the fat loss supplement market to understand what makes this product a little different. When it comes to fat loss supplements, there is a large array of products claiming to do all sorts of wonderful things. From melting fat away to making you a sex symbol, these products promise just about everything. Though the number of products on the market can be confusing and diverse, most can be divided into two basic groups: "fat blockers" and "fat burners." "Fat burners" as they are called, generally refer to products that contain thermogenic compounds such as ephedrine and caffeine (the EC combo), etc. The other group, known as "fat blockers" work by hopefully blocking the uptake or digestion of fat so it is excreted before it ever gets stored as bodyfat. Chitosan being a good example of a product sold as a "fat blocker." As most people know who have used a good fat burner type product based on the EC combo, they do work well but don't work forever and not everyone can tolerate the effects of these stimulants. However, people that tolerate them know they work well for reducing bodyfat. As far as fat blockers are concerned, there is far less research on them in people-especially athletes-and they offer far too many drawbacks in my view to bother with for the hard training bodybuilder, not to mention the fact that there is nothing wrong with some fat in your diet! On to Metabolic Thyrolean which is neither a classic fat burner or fat blocker.

Effects of reducing calories on metabolism

We all know you have to reduce calories to some degree to get the body to give up some fat. The body responds to a decrease in calories by slowing down the metabolism. The thyroid gland is a major player in the regulation of metabolic rate. When the body senses a reduction in calories, there is a reduction in the conversion of the thyroid hormone T4, to the more active T3, thus slowing down the metabolism and potentially reducing the effectiveness of the diet. T3 is about five times more active than T4. This is one of several mechanisms by which the body can reduce metabolic rate and is a possible reason diets fail to be effective after a short period of time-thus forcing the person to restrict calories even further and a vicious cycle begins. Therefore, anything that can reduce, or delay, this reduction in thyroid hormones should have positive effects on fat loss. It's interesting to note that there has been research showing that in people whose body reduced T3 output quickest actually preserved more lean body mass (LBM). However, I don't put a lot of stock in that research because (a) they were not doing anything to protect LBM, such as increased protein intakes, weight training, etc and (2) in my own experience with athletes using thyroid medication, LBM was not lost when the levels of T4 and T3 were kept in the "normal" range (as defined by blood work). Others might however propose an LBM preserving mechanism by which the body reduces T3 output when calories are reduced, but that has not been my experience with athletes. I have of course seen plenty of sh*% for brains bodybuilders take handfuls of thyroid meds pre contest because they are too lazy to diet and watched them shrink up like gonads in a freezing cold pool...not a pretty sight.

Another important point to know about metabolic rate and thyroid hormones: It's in the liver that most of the conversion of T4 to T3 takes place. When a person is well fed they have a high ATP storage. When we diet ATP stores decline and the liver appears to be the main sensing organ of this system. If liver ATP declines, the body senses this and adjusts the thyroid output and conversion of T4 to T3 downward, that is to say, the conversion of T4 to T3 is partially dependent on the ATP status of the liver. Therefore, anything that can maintain liver ATP should fool the system into thinking it is well fed, thus hopefully maintaining adequate thyroid output. So far so good right?

So it stands to reason that by ingesting non-caloric ATP substrates, it is possible to maintain liver ATP levels without adding any calories to the diet and the person can maintain a higher metabolism. Translated, you take in stuff that can be made into ATP, thus fooling the system into thinking you are eating plenty of food, but does not have any caloric value. Studies using a combination of mixed phosphates (the "P" in ATP) have been shown to increase the metabolism and maintain T3 levels In people who were on a diet (1,2). However, these people did not lose much weight actually which sort of brings me to another point. Though thyroid is clearly essential for the regulation of metabolic rate/weight loss, there are many many factors that have to be considered, such as GH, UCPs, insulin levels, neurotransmitters, leptin levels, estrogen levels, and about a hundred other variables, so people should not see thyroid output as the be all and end all of fat loss. It is however clearly important and a worthwhile angle to pursue.

Another interesting angle as it relates to compounds that can affect thyroid hormones. Certain plant based herbal extracts have been shown to stimulate the uptake of iodine and the output of thyroid hormones (3,4). Probably the best known plant extract shown to stimulate thyroid output is called Guggul lipids which contain the active ingredient called Guggulsterones. Besides increasing thyroid out put, guggul lipids have also been shown to reduce cholesterol levels dramatically-which is a known effect of increased thyroid activity-so this plant extract has several uses (5). How guggulsterones increase thyroid output is not fully understood at this time. Another important point concerning down regulation by the body in response to lowering your calorie intake, is the effect it has neurotransmitters in the brain. As the logic goes, as the body takes in less substrate for certain important neurotransmitters levels slide downward thus reducing the rate of metabolism. Certain amino acids are the substrates (precursors) for the body to make these important neurotransmitters that partially responsible for keeping our metabolisms cranking along. It's basically that simple (with some biochemical twists and turns I am leaving out.). This is a natural way for the body to slow down the metabolism and find a new set point to the calories you are eating. That is, less building blocks for brain chemicals derived from food means a slower metabolism and the person is again forced to eat even less food and another vicious cycle begins. Can you say "muscle loss" and "catabolic?" So what if you add back in the building blocks for these important neurotransmitters in a supplement, again fooling the system into thinking you are taking in enough food? One of the most important building blocks to the neurotransmitters responsible for maintaining metabolic rate is the amino acid L-Tyrosine. L-Tyrosine is the direct precursor to stimulatory neurotransmitters such as epinephrine and noropenephrine (i.e. adrenaline) as well as certain thyroid hormones and dopamine. Basically, L-Tyrosine is a precursor to important stimulants to the metabolism and is also considered a non carbohydrate ATP substrate. There are quite a few other important functions of L-tyrosine as it relates to the metabolism and our ability to "burn" fat, but that's getting beyond the scope of this article. Of particular interest, some studies have shown tyrosine improves the thermogenic effect of ephedrine based fat burners and is a natural stimulant as well as a natural appetite suppressant.

So, getting back to this new product called Metabolic Thyrolean (we were talking about this product remember!?), it is through these pathways mentioned above that this new product attempts to keep the metabolism from shutting down in response to less calories. That is, Metabolic Thyrolean contains mixed mineral phosphates in the correct ratios to maintain liver ATP and maintain a higher metabolic rate, contains the correct amount of guggulsterones to stimulate the thyroid gland, and contains L-Tyrosine to supply the body with the direct precursors to the brain chemicals that keep one's metabolism up and running while dieting. This is a new approach to fat loss compared to other products on the market , and in my view, is a far more targeted approach to fat loss than other products on the market. Metabolic Thyrolean also contains hydroxy citric acid (HCA), which some studies have shown to block the enzyme (ATP-citrate lyase) responsible for converting carbohydrates into stored body fat (6), though a recent study disputed its ability to help with weight loss. HCA may also enhance thermogenesis and act as an appetite suppressant.

Metabolic Thyrolean is not a stimulant and works through some different mechanisms and pathways from that of the ephedrine caffeine based fat burners. To sum it up, Metabolic Thyrolean should assist fat loss from three angles:


The reduction of active thyroid hormones that occur when a person diets
The reduction in metabolic rate that occurs when a person reduces their caloric intake
The reduction in certain neurotransmitters that occurs from the intake low calorie diets.
Research with Metabolic Thyrolean

Got all that? The theory sounds great, but does the stuff really work? I mean, how many times have we read an article on some product thrown together using a few studies done on rats from God only knows what country only to find out there is no real research on the product in real live humans? Recently a clinical study was performed on Metabolic Thyrolean and will be published in a peer reviewed scientific journal in the near future (7). The study was a prospective, double blind, placebo controlled study involving 18 people. Each person was put on an 1800 calories diet and workout, done three days per week doing 45 minutes of circuit training and aerobics, which is not very strenuous by anyone's standards. After six weeks, the study found that the group receiving Metabolic Thyrolean lost three times more fat than the placebo group or control group (9.4lbs of fat lost for the Metabolic Thyrolean group vs 3lbs and 2.9lbs for placebo and control group respectively) without changes in LBM between groups. These results would suggest that Metabolic Thyrolean is about as effective as the "fat burner" type stimulants and a lot more effective than products such as pyruvate.

If these results from the study translate well into the "real world" than I would expect Metabolic Thyrolean to be an effective and useful diet aid to bodybuilders and "normal" people alike. Another interesting point in my view, the separate research on phosphates, guggul, HCA, and Tyrosine has been less than impressive for weight loss so it would appear from the above results that there is some synergism taking place between the ingredients and that was the expectation. It is my view the real synergism is with the guggul and the phosphates but it's unclear.

As an interesting side note, the study also looked at something called a Profile of Mood States (POMS) test and found that the people getting the Metabolic Thyrolean were less prone to fatigue and had better mood scores, that is they just felt better than the other groups not getting the product.

Patents, Real World Results, and the mother in law test.

As anyone knows who follows my writing, I am a stickler for real world results. So, I got a case of the product and gave a few months worth to some friends who were of different ages, sex, and weight. So far, the feedback has been positive with most people reporting varying amounts of weight loss and increases in energy levels. Even my mother-in-law tells me how good she feels on the product and the weight she has lost has been about what the study found. So far so good. It's a good thing to keep ones mother-in-law happy...

As many of you might have noticed, this is an industry of knock-offs and rip-offs. One knock-off of the product has already been found. There has been a composition patent filed for Metabolic Thyrolean that is expected to be approved shortly (it is a "Patent Pending" product now). My understanding is the company who makes it (Prolab Nutrition) plans to fully enforce the patent with legal action if need be and when the patent is approved. Not that will stop the no brain knock off artists of the supplement world from trying of course.

Getting the most from ECA Fat Burners

It is my belief that this product should make the ECA based fat burner type products work more effectively. Though future research needs to confirm my hunch, I have the strong feeling that combining Metabolic Thyrolean with herbal based fat burners will improve the efficacy these products. So, if you have found your fat burner is not working like it used to, this product might very well kick the fat loss process back into gear. If you don't like the ephedrine based fat burners for what ever reason that's fine, as the study showed Metabolic Thyrolean appeared to work fine by itself, but if you do use herbal fat burners you might get a real boost by combining them with this product. Make no mistake about it, the ECA based fat burners work very well for fat loss, but I have a hunch that they will work even better if mixed with Metabolic Thyrolean. If you try this combo, feel free to contact me at my Po box (PO Box 480, Newton MA, 02459) or web site (http://www.brinkzone.com/) and let me know what happened. You should try the combination for at least 6-8 weeks before making your assessment of its effectiveness.

Conclusion

It is my feeling that Metabolic Thyrolean will work best in people who have had their metabolisms slow down from a reduced calorie diet that has lasted longer than it should have. That is, people whose bodies have responded to the lack of calories by some or all of the mechanisms talked about above. I do think it would help at least to some degree for anyone embarking on a fat loss program but I don't make any promises at this time. I don't think it will do much for people at higher calories levels trying to bulk up or people eating maintenance calories but other than a few pharmaceuticals, nothing will get fat off if the person does not initiate the process first.


REFS.

Nazar-K; et al, J-Physiol-Pharmacol. 1996 Jun; 47(2): 373-83
(2)Kaciuba-Uscilko-H; et al., J-Physiol-Pharmacol. 1993 Dec; 44(4): 425- 40
Tripathi-YB; et al, Planta-Med. 1988 Aug; 54(4): 271-7,
Tripathi-YB; Malhotra-OP; Tripathi-SN, Planta-Med. 1984 Feb(1): 78-80
Nityanand-S; et al., J-Assoc-Physicians-India. 1989 May; 37(5): 323-8
R. Nageswara Rao, K.K Sakariah, Nutri. Research, 8:2, 1988.
Antonio J, Colker CM, Torina GC, Shi Q, Brink W, Kalman D. Effects of a standardized guggulsterone phosphate supplement on body composition in overweight adults: A pilot study. Curr Ther Res 1999;60(4):220-227.

	T3

	IGF-1

	Supps

	protein

	energy

[powerlifter]

Well Bro that is good news considering I ordered 12 bottles from Netrition last winter when they were on sale - haven't used them yet - I will be cutting this Summer