There’s a sort of prankster at work who gave me a Christmas present that included “Blazin’ Rectum Rub”, which I assume is a real spicy meat seasoning. It occurred to me that this product may have thermogenic qualities.
What are thermogenics? These are substances which encourage the production of heat in the body. One natural example is cayenne pepper (pronounced CY-ANNE-PEPPAH in Cajun). This is actually sold in capsules, but it’s just a spice really. I’ve used the capsules in the past — don’t take them on an empty stomach — but i get plenty in the massive amounts of Tabasco sauce that I eat on just about everything.
Cayenne has other benefits: it reduces hunger, and normalizes blood glucose, which we know is one of the keys to longevity (see episode #110 on the glycemic index).
Much of my information comes from a great website DrAxe.com, specifically this page:
https://draxe.com/thermogenic/
There are some dangerous thermogenics, says Dr. Axe, including bitter orange peel and hoodia. See that page for more details on how these substances are bad for you.
Some of the risks of certain thermogenics in unsafe quantities are acute liver failure, caffeine overdose (including insomnia and vomiting), chest pain and death (bitter orange peel), increased heart rate and high blood pressure.
As you can see, bitter orange peel is quite dangerous. In fact, the Mayo Clinic has said that although it can help with weight loss, it is not worth the risk. In my opinion, anything with death as a side effect is bad!
I must confess that I am taking fat burners, so I will definitely check them for these ingredients. For more on supplements in general, see episode #67. Links for all of the supplements I use can be found at http://RunningAFEVER.com/shop.
Recorded January 7, 2019.
Weight (change since Jan 2018): 210 (-64)
Workout time: 172 Minutes
Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 6.54 Miles (365.46)
Steps: 15,320
Muscle Mass (change since Aug 2018): 155.88 (+13)
Body Fat: 25.7%
Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 8 hours
2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat