The theoretical rationale was based on STI571 in vitro studies from the early 1990s that reported that calcium pyruvate supplementation (16 – 25 g/d with or without dihydroxyacetone phosphate [DHAP]) promoted fat loss in overweight/obese patients following a medically supervised weight loss program [351–353]. Although the mechanism for these findings was unclear, the researchers speculated that it might be

related to appetite suppression and/or altered carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Since calcium pyruvate is very expensive, selleckchem several studies have attempted to determine whether ingesting smaller amounts of calcium pyruvate (6-10 g/d) affect body composition in untrained and trained populations. Results of these studies are mixed. Earlier studies have shown both a positive effect on calcium pyruvate supplementation in improving body composition [354], however, Stone and colleagues [355] reported that pyruvate supplementation did not affect hydrostatically determined body composition during 5-weeks of in-season college football training. More recently, calcium pyruvate Ro 61-8048 mw supplementation was also shown to not have a significant effect on body composition or exercise performance. Additionally, it has been reported that supplementation may negatively affect some blood lipid levels

[356]. These findings indicate that although there is some supportive data indicating that calcium pyruvate supplementation may enhance fat loss when taken Phosphoribosylglycinamide formyltransferase at high doses (6-16 g/d), there is no evidence that ingesting the doses typically found in pyruvate supplements (0.5 – 2 g/d) has any affect on body composition. In addition, the overall quantity of research examining calcium pyruvate is minimal at best thus it is not warranted to include calcium pyruvate as a weight loss supplement. Chitosan Chitosan has been marketed as a weight loss supplement for several years as is known as a “”fat trapper”". It is purported to inhibit fat absorption and lower cholesterol. This notion is supported animal studies indicated by decreased fat absorption, increased fat content, and/or lower cholesterol following chitosan feedings [357–360].

However, the effects in humans appear to be less impressive. For example, although there is some data suggesting that chitosan supplementation may lower blood lipids in humans,[361] other studies report no effects on fat content [362, 363]or body composition alterations [364–366] when administered to people following their normal diet. More recent work has shown that the effect of chitosan on fat absorption is negligible and is the equivalent of approximately 9.9 kcal/day following supplementation [362]. Other work has concluded that the insignificant amounts of fat that are trapped from supplementation would take about 7 months for a male to lose a pound of weight, and that the effect was completely ineffective in women [364].