Losing weight can be very difficult
Studies show that only 15% of people can succeed using traditional weight loss methods .
Failure people often look for other solutions such as dietary supplements and herbs that support weight loss.
One of them is forskolin, a natural plant compound that is thought to be an impressive dietary supplement.
This article helps us have a more detailed look at forskolin and the scientific research behind it.
What is Forskolin?
Forskolin is an active compound in the roots ( Coleus forskohlii ), a tropical plant belonging to the mint family.
For centuries, this plant has been used in traditional herbal medicine to treat various pathogens .
Scientific research today shows the health benefits that this plant can bring.
As a dietary supplement, forskolin becomes popular in the United States after it appears on television in the program. in January 1.2014
Summary: Forskolin is an active compound found in Indian lemon basil roots. It is sold as a weight loss medicine.
How does Forskolin help support weight loss?
Most of them are experiments that are studied in animals, so the results may not be applicable to humans.
Simply put, forskolin stimulates the release of stored fat in fat cells . The same thing happens whenever the body needs to use fat to create energy.
According to the mechanism of action, the release of stored fats is not enough to promote weight loss - this should be accompanied by calorie consumption.
In other words, in order for the weight loss process to really take place, energy consumption (amount calories lost) must exceed the charging energy (body calorie intake).
Functional foods that support weight loss can help burn calories by:
- Limit appetite
- Reduce the effective operation of the digestive process
- Speed up metabolism (burn fat).
As we know, forskolin does not cause anything like that.
However, human clinical trials have provided some promising results. That forskolin can promote fat loss while protecting muscles .
These effects will be discussed in the next sections.
Summary: Forskolin stimulates the release of fat stored in fat cells, an effect not necessarily causing weight loss.
Does Forskolin actually help you lose weight?
So far, only two small studies have examined the effect of forskolin on human weight loss .
Both studies were controlled randomly, according to the gold standard of human scientific research.
The largest trial of 30 men with overweight and obesity was divided into 2 groups:
- Forskolin Group: 15 men were supplemented with 250mg of Indian lemon basil extract (10% forskolin) twice a day for 12 weeks
- Placebo group: The remaining 15 people were given the same placebo amount.
Compared with the placebo group, those who received forskolin lost significantly more fat, but the total weight remained unchanged .
This is how the body's components change throughout the course of the study:
In addition, the results showed a significant increase in free testosterone in the forskolin group. Testosterone can stimulate the release of fat - perhaps partly to explain the reduction in fat during the study
The increase in testosterone may also promote muscle growth . In fact, the forskolin group tends to increase lean weight but not significantly.
In another study, 23 overweight women received the same amount of forskolin extracted from Indian lemon basil (500mg / day) for 12 weeks.
In contrast to research in men, forskolin supplements do not have any significant effect on fat burning, but the results indicate that forskolin can protect the body from weight gain .
In conclusion, 12 weeks with forskolin supplements do not cause weight loss, but it can improve male body structure and prevent weight gain in women.
It can be said that the current evidence is not convincing. So more research is needed on this.
Summary: Two studies examined the effect of forskolin on weight loss. Some of them are functional foods that cause significant loss of fat, but their body weight does not change.
Other health benefits of Forskolin functional foods
It has been used to treat many diseases such as heart disease, asthma, bronchitis and constipation .
In people, forskolin may also:
- Expanding airways in the lungs, reducing the risk of asthma .
- Increase bone mineral density, reduce the risk of osteoporosis .
- Stimulating testosterone formation, promoting muscle mass maintenance .
There are also in vitro or laboratory studies on animals showing many other benefits of forskolin
Summary: Forskolin has long been a part of traditional herbs. Some evidence indicates that it can help alleviate asthma, increase bone density and stimulate testosterone formation.
Dosage and side effects
The typical dosage for forskolin is about 100-250 mg of Indian lemon basil (10% forskolin), twice a day.
Forskolin does not cause any side effects in humans, but its safety has not been fully evaluated .
Should you try Forskolin?
Based on the current evidence, it is clear that forskolin has no effect weight loss .
However, a study in men showed that it can increase testosterone levels and improve body texture, such as burning your body fat while increasing muscle mass.
At this point, the evidence presented is limited so it is difficult to reach any general conclusions.
In principle, we should be skeptical of all dietary supplements that help with weight loss. Some of them are only effective at first, then proved to be completely ineffective in larger, higher-quality studies.
If you want more information about weight-loss medications and really effective effects, read this article: 12 drugs and foods that help lose weight are trusted by many people .
