The acute effects of the thermogenic supplement Meltdown on energy expenditure, fat oxidation, and hemodynamic responses in young, healthy males

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a thermogenic supplement, Meltdown, on energy expenditure, fat oxidation, and hemodynamics before and after maximal treadmill exercise. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design, 12 male participants underwent two testing sessions after consuming either the Meltdown or placebo supplement. While in a fasted state, participants rested for one hour, orally ingested either Meltdown or placebo and rested for another hour, performed a maximal treadmill exercise test, and then rested for another hour. Throughout the testing protocol, resting energy expenditure (REE) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were assessed. In addition, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were assessed before and after exercise. Meltdown increased REE significantly more than placebo at 45 min (1.44 ± 0.25 vs. 0.90 ± 0.07; p = 0.009). Furthermore, over the course of the evaluation period, area under the curve assessment demonstrated that REE was significantly increased with Meltdown compared to placebo (992.5 ± 133.1 vs. 895.1 ± 296.1 kcals; p = 0.043), while RER was significantly less than placebo (5.55 ± 0.61 vs. 5.89 ± 0.44; p = 0.002) following ingestion. HR and BP were not significantly affected prior to exercise with either supplement (p > 0.05) and the exercise-induced increases for HR and BP decreased into recovery and were not different between supplements (p > 0.05). These data suggest that Meltdown enhances REE and fat oxidation more than placebo for several hours after ingestion in fully rested and post-exercise states without any adverse hemodynamic responses associated with maximal exercise.

Dietary Caffeine and Polyphenol Supplementation Enhances Overall Metabolic Rate and Lipid Oxidation at Rest and After a Bout of Sprint Interval Exercise

“…The results for RER and FO POST-SIE also suggest that the acutely heightened lipid oxidation rate after SIE is further amplified with a single caffeine-polyphenol dosing. Similar postexercise metabolic responses were reported by Jitomir et al (21) after subjects ingested a proprietary multi-ingredient thermogenic supplement. With these particular results, a question may be posed as to whether the enhanced metabolic activity after SIE was attributable to any changes in SIE performance associated with caffeine-polyphenol supplementation.…”

“…Resting (postsupplementation, pre-SIE) and exercise heart rate (HR REST and HR SIE ) did not differ between treatments; however, HR POST-SIE was significantly (p = 0.001) greater during EXP (90.8 6 3.5 b$min 21 ) compared with placebo (85.1 6 3.6 b$min 21 ). No significant difference between treatments was detected for SBP or DBP at rest and post-SIE, although the analysis approached significance (p = 0.06).…”

A Review of Natural Stimulant and Non‐stimulant Thermogenic Agents

“…For a starving individual, 737 STIMULANT AND NON-STIMULANT THERMOGENIC AGENTS the RER may be as low as 0.7, reflecting utilization of body fat, which in starvation often co-exists with lean body mass wasting. This shift is commonly observed in stimulatory thermogenic weight-loss supplements such as caffeine and ephedra (Vukovich et al, 2005;Jitomir et al, 2008) and has been associated with cardiovascular side effects such as an increased blood pressure. Therefore, potential for non-stimulant thermogenic compounds or combinations thereof which shift metabolism towards fat utilization and without 'starvation' or cardiovascular effects is highly valuable in the nutritional field and offers much promise.…”

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: energy drinks

“…Collectively, these findings suggest that the stimulant properties of caffeine contained in ED can elevate an individual’s metabolic rate as well as elevate the rate of lipolysis in the body. However, these studies used various types of caffeine/stimulant/vitamin-enriched coffee [189-193], a caffeine/stimulant blend supplement [187,189,193], and various calorie-free thermogenic ED [190,194-197]. Additionally, the dosage of caffeine used in some of these beverages that are marketed as a thermogenic supplements is typically higher (e.g., 200-500 mg) than the concentrations found in ED and ES marketed for increasing athletic performance or alertness (i.e., about 80 – 200 mg).…”