Quick Navigation

Fat Oxidation

Fat Oxidation is the percentage of caloric expenditure that is derived from fatty acids (the alternative being mostly from glucose); it is independent of actual metabolic rate.

Kamal
Research analysis lead by Kamal Patel
All content reviewed by Examine.com Team. Published:
Last Updated:

Human Effect Matrix

The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what supplements affect fat oxidation
Grade Level of Evidence
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
Uncontrolled or observational studies only
Level of Evidence
? The amount of high quality evidence. The more evidence, the more we can trust the results.
Outcome Magnitude of effect
? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
Consistency of research results
? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
Notes
grade-a Green Tea Catechins Minor Very High See all 8 studies
There appears to be a slight but unreliable increase in fat oxidation (percentage of overall calories used coming from fatty acids rather than glucose) associated with consumption of green tea catechins
grade-b Branched Chain Amino Acids Minor Low See all 3 studies
In prolonged exercise and somewhat related to the antifatigue effects, an increase in fat oxidation is noted with BCAA supplementation; this is thought to be related to the glycogen preserving effects of BCAAs.
grade-b Caffeine Minor Very High See all 3 studies
An increase in fat oxidation appears to be apparent (assessed via increased serum glycerol and free fatty acids) which is thought to be secondary to increases in adrenaline
grade-b Yerba mate  
grade-b Colostrum  
grade-b L-Carnitine  
grade-c Alpha-GPC  
grade-c Conjugated Linoleic Acid  
grade-c Eleutherococcus senticosus  
grade-c Sodium Bicarbonate  
grade-c Spirulina  
grade-c Vitamin B3 (Niacin)  
grade-c Astaxanthin  
grade-c Capsaicin  
grade-c Chromium  
grade-c Cocoa Extract  
grade-c Creatine  
grade-c Nicotine  
grade-c Panax ginseng  
grade-c Phosphatidylserine  
grade-c Quercetin  
grade-c Resveratrol  
grade-c Taurine  
grade-c Vitamin C  
grade-d Fish Oil  
grade-d Medium-chain triglycerides  
grade-d Ashwagandha  

All comparative evidence is now gathered in our ​A-to-Z Supplement Reference.

The evidence for each separate supplement is still freely available ​here.

This page is regularly updated, to include the most recently available clinical trial evidence.

Each member of our research team is required to have no conflicts of interest, including with supplement manufacturers, food companies, and industry funders. The team includes nutrition researchers, registered dietitians, physicians, and pharmacists. We have a strict editorial process.

This page features 0 references. All factual claims are followed by specifically-applicable references. Click here to see the full set of references for this page.

Examine.com is intended to be used for educational and information purposes only. Examine.com and its Editors do not advocate nutritional supplementation over proper medical advice or treatment and this sentiment will never be expressed through pages hosted under Examine.com. If using any pharmaceuticals or drugs given to you by a doctor or received with a prescription, you must consult with the doctor in question or an equally qualified Health Care Professional prior to using any nutritional supplementation. If undergoing medical therapies, then consult with your respective Therapist or Health Care Professional about possible interactions between your Treatment, any Pharmaceuticals or Drugs being given, and possible nutritional supplements or practices hosted on Examine.com.

Examine.com does not assume liability for any actions undertaken after visiting these pages, and does not assume liability if one misuses supplements. Examine.com and its Editors do not ensure that unforeseen side effects will not occur even at the proper dosages, and thereby does not assume liability for any side effects from supplements or practices hosted under the domain of Examine.com.

Popular Supplements

TOP NUTRITION ARTICLES

Never miss an update!

Your e-mail is safe with us. We don’t share personal data.
Tweet