Controlled burn: How ephedrine-based fat-burners work and how you can use them properly

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, Feb-March, 2002 by Beth Sonnenburg

Sarah (*) was about two months from the body of her dreams, but her extreme diet and demanding training schedule left her drained and even depressed. "I mostly took a fat-burner for energy, but near the end I took it to kick my metabolism into high gear," she says. "I felt like I needed help to get the results I wanted."

After adding an ephedrine-based supplement to her diet-and-exercise regimen, Rachel (*) explains: "It's been easier to lose the abdominal fat that had plagued my self-esteem for the past few years. I use it as a thermogenic supplement primarily, and secondarily as an energy-booster to exercise."

Looking to burn calories more efficiently and quickly, Amanda (*) gradually increased her intake of her fat-burner of choice from the recommended dosage to three pills three times a day. "I was losing weight, but I began to feel I couldn't work out as intensely as I had before because my heart rate was so elevated, I felt sick and would break into a cold sweat. I felt jittery and clammy all the time," she states.

Providing just a glimpse into the popularity of ephedrine-based fat-burners, these three letters are among hundreds submitted by M&F HERS readers around the country. Many share the same story -- wanting that extra boost to stimulate weight loss and increase energy for training. While many readers praised the products unconditionally, others reported mild to severe side effects such as chest pain, dizziness and insomnia, causing them to discontinue use.

We know ephedrine-based fat-burners do work in many cases for many people, but they certainly aren't without risk. If you choose to take these products, here's what you need to know about their effectiveness, the risks involved and how to minimize your probability of experiencing adverse effects.

what is it? it?

Ephedrine comes from a plant called ephedra, a perennial shrub with about 40 different species that grow in regions of Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Many of the Asian and European varieties contain active constituents called ephedrine alkaloids (EAs). Ephedrine is the major EA. Chinese ephedra plants are known as mahuang, meaning "yellow astringent." (Ephedrine also occurs in the heartleaf plant Sida cordifolia.) In his newsletter "The Dietary Supplement," Paul Thomas, EdD, RD, notes that the Chinese have used mahuang for more than 5,000 years to treat conditions including asthma, colds, fever and even malaria.

Ephedrine products, sometimes called thermogenics, are sold in pill, drink and even bar form. They're often combined with caffeine and/or aspirin, as well as a variety of other herbs touted to help burn fat.

Caffeine is often added or "stacked" to ephedrine-based products, as it enhances and prolongs ephedrine's effects; the herb guarana is also a source of caffeine. "Studies suggest that ephedra works better with caffeine [up to 240 mg/day] for weight loss," says Thomas. If you do take a product stacked with ephedrine and caffeine, be especially cognizant of your caffeine intake at other times of the day. "Those consuming large quantities of [caffeinated] coffee, tea and soft drinks are at greater risk of adverse effects," notes Cliff Morris, MD, medical director of cardiac rehabilitation at the John Randolph Medical Center in Hopewell, Virginia. Especially if you consume ephedrine, limit your caffeine intake to 300 mg/day; 6 ounces of regular brewed coffee contains 103 mg caffeine. Additionally, stay well hydrated, as caffeine has a diuretic effect. We don't recommend stacking the two if you're sensitive to ephedrine or you're a heavy caffeine user.

You might also find aspirin, caffcine and ephedrine (ECA) in what's called an ECA stack. "[Aspirin] is often added to fat-burner products because it appears to reduce urinary excretion of ephedrine, thus keeping it in the blood longer and prolonging ephedrine's stimulating effects," explains Sheri Barke, MPH, PD, a nutritionist at the UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center Salicin, a compound similar to aspirin, is often used in place of aspirin in an ephedrine stack "Because salicin can prolong ephedtine's stimulating effects, it increases ephedra's potential risks," Thomas explains.

how it works

Heard of the "fight or flight" reaction? In response to a stressful situation, your sympathetic nervous system gears up to either go to battle or escape a situation immediately. Heart rate and blood pressure increase to prepare the body for action. Ephedrine mimics the effects of epinephrine and norepinephtine, the two naturally occurring chemicals in the body primarily responsible for the fight or flight syndrome. When you take ephedrine, then, you're basically stimulating your sympathetic nervous system, causing:

* a faster heartbeat, increased force of heart contraction and increased blood flow

* increased blood pressure

* increased thermogenesis (the body's heat production, generated by calorie-burning)

* increased blood flow to the brain

* slightly increased basal metabolic rate.