5/7/11

The Dangers of Mixing Fat Burners & Enhancers

    • Many nutritional supplements should not be taken together. Many supplements, when coupled, can create negative side effects. Fat burners are typically used as a weight-loss supplement while body enhancers are taken to help supply energy to all cells in the body, primarily muscle. Both types of additives may seem safe, but mixing some of them can be harmful. Possible side effects include heart palpitations, heart failure, heart enlargement and stroke.

    Ephedrine and L-carnitine

    • Avoid mixing ephedrine and L-carnitine supplements. Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a fat burner because of its stimulant and appetite suppressant properties. L-carnitine is made from carnitine, a quaternary ammonium compound biosynthesized from the amino acids lysine and methionine. It is used as an enhancer because it's required for the transport of fatty acids from the cytosol into the mitochondria during the breakdown of fats for generating metabolic energy. In order to burn fat when taking ephedrine, a user's body is turning the calories into heat instead of storing them as fat. But in order for the body to start this process, it has to increase heart palpitations. L-carnitine also increases heart palpitations to transfer fatty acids across cell membranes to the mitochondria where they can be used as energy. So, if a user takes both supplements at the same cycle, a risk for an even faster, and very unhealthy, heart beat is plausible. The irregularity of the heart rhythm usually does no damage to the heart itself. Patients with a very rapid heart rate over a long period of time do run a risk of developing an enlargement and failure of the heart, though. There may also be some increased risk of stroke because of blood clots can form in association with atrial fibrillation.

    Ephedrine, Caffeine and Yohimbe

    • Avoid mixing ephedrine, caffeine and yohimbe supplements. As mentioned, ephedrine is a stimulant and appetite suppressant. Caffeine is found in almost all fat burning supplements because it acts as a central nervous system stimulant. Yohimbe is an alkaloid stimulant and aphrodisiac. In a study held in 1998, when overweight and obese people were given a combination of ephedrine, caffeine and yohimbe then asked to exercise, doctors found that the combination of supplements increased blood pressure and the heart rate while decreasing the heart's efficiency. Thus, there was an increased load on the heart during exercise that could potentially lead to a heart attack or stroke. But when the supplements were taken alone, there was no effect on the heart's function.

    Creatine and Caffeine

    • Avoid mixing creatine and caffeine. Once inside muscle cells, a proportion of creatine is converted into creatine phosphate. High levels of creatine phosphate are thought to increase muscles' capacity for work by providing an instant source of energy, negating fatigue-causing acid that builds up during high-intensity exercise, and directly stimulating muscle proteins to contract. Creatine also causes water retention inside the muscle cell. Caffeine is found in most fat burning supplements and causes frequent urination. So, a user is required to drink more water with creatine, but at the same time, frequent urination is possible. The final result is severe dehydration and muscle cramping.

    Ephedrine and Pro-Hormones

    • Avoid mixing ephedrine (or any fat burning product) with pro-hormones (or any body enhancers). An E/C/A stack (ephedrine, caffiene and yohimbe supplements) increases heart palpitations. In the last two decades, pro-hormones have also been used by bodybuilders and athletes to provide the benefits of taking an anabolic steroid without the legal risks, and to achieve the hoped-for benefits or advantages without use of anabolic steroids themselves. Pro-hormones work wonders if you take them alone, but testosterone levels are increased. One of the negative side effects of pro-hormones is more aggression. It's scientifically proven that when males or females are most aggressive, plasma levels of testosterone are elevated. lncreased testosterone (for a large or small periods of time) increases the heart rate. Medical doctors say it is never good to take two ingredients that increase heart rate, which in this case, are fat burning products and a pro-hormone body enhancer. Patients with a very rapid heart rate run a risk of heart failure and stroke.

    L-Carnitine and Yohimbine

    • Avoid mixing L-carnitine and yohimbine. L-carnitine increases heart rate. Now, add yohimbine, (the active ingredient of Yohimbe), which has a major impact on blood levels of noradrenaline (a neurotransmitter secreted by certain nerve endings and by the adrenal gland). Yohimbine stimulates the central nervous system, which also increases the resting heart rate. Again, two ingredients that can each increase the heart rate can lead to heart attack or stroke.

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