| Background: Obesity increases the likelihood of developing chronic diseases such as hypertension, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis, and coronary heart diseases. An ideal approach to treat obesity is to increase energy expenditure and thermogenesis and simultaneously decrease energy intake. This is typically accomplished by increasing planned physical activity, and non-exercise activity thermogenesis which includes lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, less than 50% of people who begin a new lifestyle program of diet and exercise actually comply with it in the long-term. Caffeine, green tea extracts (GT), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) have been shown to individually improve body composition in overweight and obese men and women. However, to date no study has examined the combined effects of these ingredients on body composition. Purpose: To investigate the effects of a multi-ingredient dietary supplement (MIDS) containing caffeine, CLA, green tea, and BCAA taken for 8 weeks on body composition and abdominal fat mass in overweight and obese men and women. Methods: Thirty-four healthy men and women were randomly assigned and stratified by body fat percentage to two groups: 1) a soybean oil placebo (PL) or 2) a MIDS. Each pill of MIDS contained 99 mg of caffeine and a propriety blend containing 1510 mg of CLA, green tea extract (45% EGCG), L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine. The PL was a calorie-matched pill consisting of soybean oil. Twenty-two participants completed the study (PL, n=11; 7 women, 4 men; age, 34 +/- 3.5 years; height, 169.2 +/- 3.3 cm; body mass, 96.9 +/- 6.8 kg; BMI, 34.1 +/- 1.8 kg/m2 ; MIDS, n=11; 9 women, 2 men; age, 36 +/- 3.4 years; height, 173.2 +/- 2.9 cm; body mass, 91.9 +/- 5.6 kg; BMI, 30.0 +/- 1.5 kg/m2). The serving size for both groups was two pills consumed with breakfast and two pills with lunch. Body composition and android fat (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure and heart rate were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks of supplementation. Participants were instructed to maintain their dietary and exercise habits for the duration of the study. Data were analyzed using JMP 9 Pro (Cary, NC), and significance was set to p<0.05. A two-way ANOVA with repeated measurements was used to evaluate changes in dependent variables over time ([Pre x Post] x [PL x DS]). If significant time, group, or group-by-time interactions were reported, a Tukey test was used for post hoc comparisons. Results: Twenty two participants completed the study. Five participants withdrew from the study due to personal reasons and seven were excluded from the data due to low compliance (<80%) to the supplement. No significant changes were measured for any of the variables of body composition. Feelings of hunger were significantly higher in MIDS versus PL with no changes observed in satiety or desire to eat. Heart rate and blood pressure were unaltered in MIDS after 8 weeks of supplementation. Furthermore, lipid profile, food intake, mood state variables, fasting blood glucose, and endocrine markers (insulin, leptin, adiponectin, and hs-CRP) did not significantly change after 8 weeks regardless of group. Conclusion: Eight weeks of MIDS intake did not improve body composition, abdominal fat, blood lipids, endocrine markers (insulin, leptin, adiponectin, hs-CRP), or fasting blood glucose in overweight and obese men and women more than PL. Subjective feelings of hunger increased in MIDS, however, food intake (as assessed with a 2-day dietary record) did not change. Furthermore, MIDS appears to be safe and was well tolerated with no serious side effects reported. |
