Scientifically Breakthrough In Weight Loss With Oranges

Oranges are among the most valued and highly consumed variety of
fruit Native to southeastern Asia, oranges were originally
imported into Arabia in the 9th Century By the 12th Century
oranges were widely cultivated in Spain and exported throughout
Europe
While the modern round orange is valued for its sweet tasting
juice and pulp, early versions were of the bitter-tasting
variety known as Sour Orange (Citrus aurantium) Over the
centuries cultivation of bitter orange has largely been replaced
with juicier, sweeter versions, such as the Valencia orange
Though displaced by tastier varieties, researchers have shown
great interest in the lowly bitter orange after recently
discovering that Citrus aurantium contains a number of natural
alkaloids that safely increase weight loss Best of all, Citrus
aurantium does so without many of the negative side effects to
the cardiovascular and central nervous systems commonly
experienced with weight-control agents such as ma huang
(ephedra) An Ancient Cure Over the centuries bitter oranges
were highly valued for their food and medicinal properties In
ancient China unripened bitter oranges were used to make zhi
shi, an herbal extract used to treat constipation, improve
energy (chi) and to calm nerves in cases of insomnia and shock
In the Amazon rainforest indigenous tribes used bitter orange
tea as a laxative and to relieve nausea, stomach pains,
indigestion, gas and constipation In Western medicine the
health benefits of oranges were first noted in 1746 when the
noted Scottish naval surgeon James Lind demonstrated that
consuming citrus fruits, such as orange and limes, completely
prevented scurvy, a deadly disease that killed tens of thousands
of New World sailors What Lind didn’t know at the time was that
oranges and related citrus fruits are a rich source of, vitamin
C (ascorbic acid), one of the premier antioxidants
Adrenergic Amines Until recently, ma huang (ephedra sinica) was
considered to be one of the most effective natural weight loss
agents available At the cellular level, ephedrine, the main
active ingredient in ma huang, is a powerful adrenergic agent
that activates two types of cell receptors–called a alpha and
beta cells–to stimulate lipolysis (the breaking down of fat
into free fatty acids and glycerol) and thermogenesis (the
production of body heat in the muscles and fat) Alpha- and
beta-receptors are found on the surface of every cell in the
body and normally respond to the stimulatory effects of the two
primary adrenergic amines (nitrogen-containing compounds)
produced by the body–adrenaline and noradrenaline The specific
cellular response to adrenergic amines is determined by the
location, number and type of different alpha and
beta-receptors–alpha-1 and-2, and beta-1, -2, and -3
In general, receptor types and their responses are described as
follows: * Alpha-1: causes constriction of arteries and
potential increase in blood pressure * Alpha-2: affects blood
pressure by constricting peripheral blood vessels, inhibits
lipolysis * Beta-1: affects cardiac function, causes
bronchodilation and dilation of blood vessels in heart and
skeletal muscle * Beta-2: affects cardiac function, causes
bronchodilation and dilation of blood vessels in heart and
skeletal muscle * Beta-3: increases rate of fat release from
body stores (lipolysis) and increases resting metabolic rate
(thermogenesis)
The Alpha (and Beta) of Ephedra While ephedra has been shown to
be an effective agent for triggering thermogenesis, one of the
continuing problems has been the potential for cardiovascular
and central nervous system over-stimulation in certain
individuals The reason for
these unwanted side effects becomes clear when one looks at the
type of cell receptors targeted by ephedra Ephedra makes
contact with–and elicits responses from–both alpha- and
beta-receptors The primary benefits seen with ephedra are due
to stimulation of beta-3 receptors, which causes an increase in
lipolysis and thermogenesis Unfortunately, ephedra also
stimulates the beta-1 and beta-2 receptors, potentially causing
over-stimulation of the cardiovascular and central nervous
systems–the classical ‘fight or flight’ response Ephedra also
stimulates both of the alpha-1 and alpha-2 receptors, which, as
seen above, causes arterial constriction and increased blood
pressure
Additionally, by stimulating alpha-2 receptors ephedra has the
undesirable effect of blocking lipolysis–exactly the opposite
effect one desires when trying to control weight Bitter Orange
Extracts More Effective than Ephedra Recently researchers from
McGill University in Montreal isolated five adrenergic amines
from bitter orange (Citrus aurantium): synephrine,
N-methyl-tyramine, hordenine, octopamine, and tyramine While
these alkaloids are similar to those found in ephedra, they work
on a different set of receptors to stimulate lipolysis and
thermogenesis Laboratory tests have found that Citrus aurantium
alkaloids show properties similar to ephedrine, by triggering
beta-receptors More recently, studies have shown that both
octopamine and synephrine appear particularly effective in
stimulating lipolysis, a postulated beta-receptor effect
Other researchers had previously revealed that synephrine was
about 35 times as effective in stimulating lipolysis as
octopamine, leading researchers to state that ‘the alkaloid
mixture in bitter orange extract is superior to the mixture of
ephedrine alkaloids in ma huang (the controversial Ephedra
extract) in terms of effects on beta-receptors in general’
Fewer Side Effects than Ephedra Researchers were most impressed
by the fact that these amines increase lipolysis and
thermogenesis without causing the elevated blood pressure,
muscle disturbances, insomnia, dry mouth, heart palpitations,
and nervousness sometimes caused by ephedra Initial studies of
lean and obese volunteers measured excellent thermogenic
response with a proprietary, standardized Citrus aurantium
extract (Advantra Z®), without showing evidence of increased
heart rate, blood pressure or central nervous system
stimulation A clinical study reported by Colker et al also
demonstrated excellent effects on weight loss with a total
absence of side effects
Thus though citrus alkaloids appear to be at least as
thermogenic as the ephedrine alkaloids, they are clearly gentler
than the latter and do not cause the minor side effects
associated with use of Ma huang (nervousness, agitation,
palpitations, increases in blood pressure) The better tolerance
of the citrus alkaloids is thought to be because they do not
pass so readily into the brain, and may target fat cells more
specifically
Citrus Amines Selective for beta-3 Receptors The amines
contained in ephedra– adrenaline and noradrenaline–are highly
lipophilic, meaning that they are readily attracted to fats and
easily cross the fatty membranes that comprise the blood-brain
barrier Once past this protective barrier, adrenaline and
noradrenaline target the alpha-1 and-2 and beta-1, -2, and -3
receptors to cause amphetamine-like effects on the
cardiovascular and central nervous systems believed to occur
with ma huang By contrast, research shows that the amines found
in Citrus aurantium extract make minimal contact with the alpha
and beta-1 and -2 receptors, but exert their adrenergic effects
by acting exclusively on beta-3 receptors to stimulate lipolysis
and increase resting metabolic rate Sparing Lean Muscle Mass
New research suggests that by increasing lipolysis and burning
stored fats as fuel, citrus extracts increase energy stores
necessary for the sustained physical exertion required to tone
muscle tissues In addition, researchers believe that these dual
actions of stimulating thermogenesis and lipolysis help to
increase the amount of fatty acids released from fat stores,
thereby sparing lean muscle tissues usually broken down during
weight loss Summary Citrus aurantium extract (Advantra Z¨) is
an exceptional alternative to ma huang Both safe and natural,
it functions in four specific ways: 1 Increasing lipolysis
(breaking down fat stores to be used as fuel); 2 Stimulating
weight loss by enhancing thermogenesis (burning of fat); 3
Increasing fuels available for physical performance; and 4
Helping to spare and maintain lean muscle mass Additionally,
Citrus aurantium extract (Advantra Z¨) has been shown to
significantly increase metabolic rate in volunteers, with no
evidence of cardiovascular effects after single or repeated
doses When given to obese subjects, researchers measured
significant increases in rates of weight loss, due almost
entirely to fat loss (a consequence of lipolysis), again with no
evidence of any side effects or changes in cardiovascular
parameters, making Citrus aurantium extract an exciting new
addition to programs that combine diet, moderate exercise and
thermogenic agents to control obesity

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