How to Burn More Fat and Increase Longevity

In this edition of research roundup - omega-3 supplementation increases fat burning during exercise and lowers triglycerides; grip strength linked to illness and death; and resveratrol helps convert white fat into brown fat to promote fat oxidation and fight obesity.

Omega-3 Supplementation Increases Fat Burning, Decreases Body Fat and Lowers Triglycerides

Research published in December 2015 demonstrated that 12 weeks of Fish Oil supplementation resulted in significant improvements in many health measurements.

24 females age 66 (plus or minus 1 year) were given either placebo (olive oil) or fish oil (FO) daily. The fish oil group was given 5g Fish Oil that contained a total dosage of 2g EPA and 1g DHA.

The results after 12 weeks demonstrated that omega-3 supplementation significantly:

• Increased resting metabolic rate by 14%
• Increased energy expenditure during exercise by 10%
• Increased the rate of fat oxidation during rest by 19%
• Increased the rate of fat oxidation during exercise by 27%
• Lowered triglyceride levels by 29%
• Increased lean mass by 4%
• No changes occurred in the Placebo (olive oil) group.

At Natural Stacks, we prefer Krill Oil to fish oil because it provides the same beneficial omega-3 fatty acids (EPA & DHA), plus it also boasts:

1. Improved safety. Antarctic Krill comes from more pristine water and is lower on the food chain - both factors leading to less mercury or other bioaccumulated toxins in your concentrated dose.
2. Increased bioavailable - up to 48X more! Krill oil is a phospholipid so it can actually penetrate cell membranes and get these beneficial fatty acids where we want them most.
3. Our Krill Oil contains 1.5mg Astaxanthin per serving, providing you with one of the world's most powerful natural antioxidants to help reduce inflammation and improve over health.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick Explains Omega-3s, Fish Oil & Krill Oil bioavailability + dosing

Grip Strength Predicts Heart Disease Better Than Blood Pressure

23 Hospitals in 17 countries collaborated on this extensive study that examined a total of 142,861 people and was published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet.

Researchers followed the 142,861 subjects for 4 years, of whom 3,379 (2%) died during the study.

Researchers found that people with lower grip strength were more likely to have died during the study, whether from any cause, cardiovascular disease or non-cardiovascular disease.

They also found that people with low grip strength were also more likely to have had a heart attack or stroke.

Here's their amazing conclusion: The grip test predicted death from any cause better than systolic blood pressure did, but the blood pressure test was better at predicting whether someone would have a heart attack or stroke.

Remember, this was an "observational study, so it cannot tell us that grip strength is a cause or illness or death, but it can tell us there is a link."

This seems like a good time to remind everyone that strength is paramount to all other pursuits. Get stronger, eat right, balance stress, focus on holistic health...and as Mark Rippetoe once said, "strong people are harder to kill!"

Resveratrol turns white fat into obesity fighting brown fat

A collaborative study between Chinese researchers and scientist at Washington State University published in the International Journal of Obesity found resveratrol, a polyphenol antioxidant found in berries and grapes to have anti-obesity properties - mostly through its ability to convert white fat into brown fat and subsequently increase oxygen consumption and fatty acid oxidation. [3]

In the study, mice were given the resveratrol equivalent of a human eating 12oz berries and red grapes per day.

Resveratrol and other polyphenols (berries, chocolate, coffee, nuts) increase gene expression that enhance the oxidation of dietary fats and upregulates AMPK, an enzyme which governs the body's energy metabolism and stimulates this transition of white fat into beige fat.

Researcher Min Du explained the obesity fighting results like this: "the browning of white fat oxidizes fatty acids, generating heat in the cells which leads to a leaning effect in the body."

Read more about the benefits of converting white fat into brown fat in this post we published last spring about cryotherapy and cold thermogenesis.

Even though the amount of fruit ingested in the study was 12 servings per day, we at Natural Stacks feel that 1 serving of berries per day is ideal as that limits the fructose load on our body.

If you still want more resveratrol and polyphenols, you can take a resveratrol supplement, use cold thermogenesis techniques and obtain more polyphenols from other dietary sources like 100% chocolate, nuts, and coffee to reap the full benefits.

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Resources:

1. Logan SL, Spriet LL (2015) Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation for 12 Weeks Increases Resting and Exercise Metabolic Rate in Healthy Community-Dwelling Older Females. PLoS ONE 10(12): e0144828. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144828

2. Leong DP, Teo KK, Rangarajan S, et al. Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The Lancet. Published online May 13 2015

3. Wang, S. Resveratrol induces brown-like adipocyte formation in white fat through activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) α1. International Journal of Obesity (2015) 39, 967–976; doi:10.1038/ijo.2015.23