In order to lose weight healthily and permanently, the body has to burn fat. But how does it work? We have tested various methods for you.
The body constantly needs energy – for the body’s own processes such as the formation of new cells, to warm up or to move. The body obtains this energy from food, especially from the macronutrients fat, carbohydrates and protein. When it gets more energy than it needs, the body stores the excess calories – in the form of fat. This means: If you constantly take in more calories than you expend, your fat stores will grow.
In order to empty them again, you have to burn fat. What exactly happens? Fats consist mainly of carbon and hydrogen. With the additional supply of oxygen, the body can “burn” the fats. This produces energy, CO2 and water. The water is sweated out, the CO2 expelled through the breathing air. In this way, the body loses about 200 grams of carbon a day.
This value can be increased – but how? One obvious possibility is physical exertion. But some foods are also said to stimulate fat metabolism.
Burn fat through food – is that possible?
As described above, the body stores excess energy in the form of fat. If you have a balanced calorie balance, your fat stores will not grow. You can do this by eating a healthy and balanced diet. However, if you want to burn existing fat, you have to supply your body with less energy than it needs. That can be difficult. So wouldn’t it be easier if certain foods stimulated fat burning?
Such foods should exist. The following candidates are particularly often said to stimulate fat burning:
Some vegetables are said to provide “negative calories” to help burn fat. This means that these foods have fewer calories than you need for digestion. Lose weight by eating? Sounds good, but unfortunately has no scientific basis, according to Stern. In 2012, a study examined the myth of negative calories using the example of celery. 15 healthy women ate celery while their calorie balance was being measured. The result: even a low-calorie vegetable like celery (16 kilocalories per 100 grams) supplies the body with calories. This does not fundamentally disprove the phenomenon of negative calories, but it is very doubtful.
Certain enzymes are said to boost fat metabolism. The enzyme bromelain, which is found in pineapples, among other things, is particularly well known. According to Stern, there is no scientific evidence here either. The Apothekenumschau adds that enzymes from food are mostly broken down in the digestive tract and do not even get into the blood.
Vitamins are important and healthy – but do they also help burn fat? Vitamin C in particular is considered a promising candidate. This is partly due to observational studies that show that people with a high vitamin C intake tend to have a smaller waist circumference. As the star judges, there is still no connection between vitamin C and fat burning. Perhaps people who consume a lot of vitamin C simply eat healthier.
Another candidate comes from a completely different group of foods: the substance L-carnitine is found primarily in meat and dairy products and plays a role in burning fat. So eat more meat? This is not only a bad idea for animal welfare and climate protection reasons: According to the Apothekenumschau, the body only absorbs as much L-carnitine as it needs. It excretes excess L-carnitine.
Burning fat – does it have to be?
As described above, visceral abdominal fat is considered particularly unhealthy. Too much fat or being overweight is associated with many diseases, such as diabetes. If you want or need to burn fat for health reasons, you can do that with a combination of regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Important: Health should be the priority – not the desire to conform to an ideal of beauty. If you live a generally healthy life, there is no reason to additionally boost your fat metabolism.
