secrets of Weight loss, Open Sesame! (The Fat Burning Abilities of Sesamin)
Have you ever noticed that when you first start a new diet, the pounds seem to literally just start melting away? But soon, you start to notice that as time passes, the results start petering out.
Youre not alone this is a built in mechanism of the bodys energy processing system. And unless you can find a way to interrupt or alter this process, youll constantly find yourself facing this same dismal plateau in your pound shedding process.
Heres why it happens:
Your body likes to get comfortable its not a big fan of change. Despite your best intentions, your body is stubbornly stuck on functioning at a specific amount of body fat, which is known as your set point.
Once you start melting the fat away, your body starts cutting down the concentration of your fat-burning enzymes, and starts cranking up the enzymes that encourage fat storage. Enzyme shifts like this can be as big of a problem as hormonal and other chemical changes. In this case, its your fat-burning capabilities that get caught in the cross-fire.
If you want to accelerate weight loss, youve got to interrupt this natural inclination to start warehousing your fat stores.
There are two primary ways to confront this issue. First, you could opt for a weight loss supplement that boosts the release of fatty acids in the hopes that your body will burn them as a fuel source. However, theres no sense in cranking out more fatty acids if theres no way for your body to oxidize (burn) them.
The other option is to control the actual enzyme activity in such a way that it prompts fat oxidation, instead of ushering in a mad grab to store the flab.
If you can unlock this potential, the pounds will start shedding but more will happen as well.
Believe it or not, the secret is as simple as a seed.
Sesame Seed secrets
Sesame seeds contain whats known as a lignan thats called sesamin. It has a special ability thats worth your attention especially if youre trying to lose weight.
Not only does sesamin promote fat oxidation, it also increases your bodys capacity to do it while at the same time whittling away at your fat stores.
The secret of sesamin is its relationship with a special receptor known as Peroxisome Proliferation Activator Receptor Alpha (PPARalpha). It binds to, and then activates, the PPARalpha, and it can be found naturally in your:
Muscles
Your liver
Your kidneys and
Your heart.
Its assignment is to regulate your lipid (fat) metabolism with a focus on the genes involved in fatty acid beta-oxidation and something known as lypogenesis.
The Mystery at the Molecular Level Sesamin works at the molecular level by increasing fat oxidation in your mitochondria (your cellular powerhouses) and the peroxisomes the majority of this going on in your skeletal muscles and your liver. It does this by upping the instance of the specific enzymes needed for the fat burning mode to kick in:
CPT a rate-limiting enzyme in the burning (beta-oxidation) of fatty acids, and is found in the outer membrane of the mitochondria, where it binds to and escorts the fatty acids inside. More CPT means more fat-burning can occur.
UCP these are uncoupling proteins and they decrease the energy efficiency of your mitochondria. Think of it like a car the less efficient the engine is, the more fuel is needed to make it from Point A to Point B. In your powerhouse, it means more calories are needed to perform every day tasks. This phenomenon known as calorie wasting, and its a key component to high-impact weight loss.
By increasing these key enzymes, sesamin increases both the speed and the total capacity with which cells are able to burn fat.
In the meantime, sesamin is also going to work at burning fat on the hormonal level as well. It does this by influencing leptin levels and has been shown in documented studies to actually restore insulin sensitivity in overweight lab rodents.
This could prove beneficial not only for those who are overweight, but diabetics as well. Behind the scenes, sesamin works to regulate your leptin and insulin levels, keeping them at an ideal balance.
Emptying the Reserves The influence of sesamin isnt just felt in fat oxidation, but fat storage as well. Its known as lipogenesis, and sesamin decreases fat storage by limiting the number of lipogenic enzymes present in your liver.
It works by decreasing:
Sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1)
Acetyl-CoA carboxylase and
The fatty acid synthase
Sesamin also plays an important role in ketogenesis. after fatty acid oxidation reaches a critical mass where the liver cant use the fatty acids for fuel, ketogenesis kicks in. All of the extra acetyl-CoA gets transformed into ketones, which increase in your liver and in your bloodstream.
Guess what organ relies heavily on ketones? Your brain!
And guess when theyre critically needed? During low-card/high-protein diets. Usually, youd get what you need from glucose. But when glucose is limited, ketones are the next fuel source it turns to.
More importantly, getting a ketone boost helps spare you from your protein getting devoured and keeps you from melting muscle instead of fat.
How Many Seeds Do You Need? Unfortunately, sesame seeds and sesame oil just dont have enough sesamin to get the job done. Youll have to invest in a high-quality supplement to get the levels you need. However, when you take a look at just a few of the other benefits you can take advantage of; youll likely agree that sesamin supplements are a worthwhile investment. Here are just a few to ponder as you head off
Its a powerful antioxidant and helps the recycling of vitamin E
It helps increase good (HDL) and lower bad (LDL) cholesterol levels
Sesamin helps you to lower your blood pressure
It can offer protection against alcohol for your liver
It can help improve overall liver and kidney health and function
Sesamin has no stimulant properties, and
It can serve as an anti-inflammatory much like Ibuprofen.
Im hardly going out on a limb when I say its worth a little attention!
Rhadi Ferguson is a 2004 Olympian in Judo and a World Renown strength and Conditioning Coach. If you're looking to get the weight off and keep it off, check out http://www.thebodyweightworkout.com
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