 Mark J. Tallon 
Real Nutrition: Part II
LEAN for LIFE—Burning fat with 7-Keto
- Mark J. Tallon, Clinical Reviews Editor
The once "American " dream of the beach body is now an international ideal, though it's hard to tell by the average person's expanding waistline. In a recent article in USA Today, James Hill, director of the Center for Human Nutrition based at the University of Colorado in Denver, commented on the escalating obesity epidemic. Hill predicted that at the current rate, 39% of Americans will be obese by 2008.
The market has, of course, responded, with a mass of "get-thin-quick" formulas, many claiming the cure for obesity to be the controversial ephedrine. Now, however, as ephedrine use begins its slow death on Capitol Hill, countless new products are flooding the marketplace to mop up and provide the confused and desperate public with what they want—a lean, fit body.
Until recently, I have really struggled to find any products that are based on good science with clinical trial data to back their seemingly pie-in-the-sky claims. Now, it looks as though there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
In "Part I of this Real Nutrition" series, we broke down how to build-up muscle. In Part II, we'll uncover the secrets behind fat loss with 7-Keto, which many of you have seen at your local GNC, in past issues of Real SOLUTIONS, and in new fat-burning supplement that is gaining popularity very quickly—Lean System 7.
But how many of you know how it works? Why it works? And how best to integrate it into a solid nutritional routine that may help you keep lean for life...?
Time for a Change
For over 50 years, scientists have been investigating the possible applications of DHEA in human metabolism. In 1995, however, Dr. Henry Lardy began the excellent research on what he called "Ergosteroids," leading to the eventual understanding of the compound behind DHEA's fat-burning (thermogenic) effects. A series of groundbreaking studies have started to indicate 7-Keto may be the only real safe and effective alternative to ephedrine.
Mechanism, Mechanism on the Wall
In essence, we can split how 7-Keto works into two mechanisms. These include:
- Thyroid Stimulation
- Up-Regulation of Uncoupling Proteins and Enzymes
The primary effects of 7-Keto at present seem to be linked to a change in thyroid hormone. In fact, to the thyroid hormone's most active form when it comes to shedding unwanted bodyfat: T3 (3-5-3-triiodothyronine). Second, we see 7-Keto can also affect Uncoupling Proteins or UCP's. In essence, these two powerhouse systems of fat control both influence primarily one mechanism—the passage of hydrogen ions (H+) into the mitochondria.
 Figure 1: Thermogenic influence of 7-Keto DHEA on mitochondrial structure and function. Mitochondria are small biological energy-producing structures found in muscle. These mini-energy reactors shuttle H+ as a form of currency needed to produce the universal energy that allows muscle to contract; that is, ATP.
The surface area of the mitochondria membrane is inherently leaky, you might say, which is all due to its lipid (fat) structure. There's also a variety of substances that can further affect the structure of the membrane. Included in the list are thyroid hormones.
Thyroid hormones can change the efficiency of H+ transport via UCP's. You see, if we decrease the number of H+ that can be used effectively in producing energy by increasing how much leaks out of the pores of the mitochondria, energy will be lost as heat. This process is more widely known as "thermogenesis." This chain of events is also eloquently referred to as mitochondria uncoupling (see Figure 1).
Show Me the Science: Proof Behind 7-Keto
At the end of 2003, we had our proof of 7-Keto's effectiveness in the form of three solid human clinical trials. These trials have provided our first glimpse into the exciting body-composition-changing potential of 7-Keto. The first of the three studies was performed by Doug Kalman, a nutritionist from Miami, who investigated the influence of 100 mg of 7-Keto given twice a day in combination with 60 minutes of exercise per week. A group of 30 adults, 28 of them women, participated in the study. At the end of the study, those on 7-Keto lost 336% more weight than those on the placebo—on the exact same exercise regime. In real terms, that's a loss of an extra 4.4 lbs over eight short weeks. This study also showed the first evidence of 7-Keto's positive influence on T3: in this study, a 15% higher concentration of T3 was found in the 7-Keto group above that found in the placebo group.
The second study in the series assessed a formula containing 7-oxo-DHEA, again the impact of 200 mg/d, with a calorie-controlled diet and exercise regimen versus a placebo in overweight subjects. Measured parameters included weight, body composition, and basal metabolic rate (BMR). This study showed that 7-Keto leads to an average weight loss of around one pound per week (See Figure 2).
 Figure 2: The influence of supplemental intake of 7-Keto DHEA (200 mg/d) on fat loss. The most recent and final study was presented by Dr. Zenk, the leading researcher in the 7-Keto field when it comes to physique change, at one of the world's most distinguished conferences: The Federation of Experimental and Applied Physiology. Just listen to the results experienced over eight weeks with a 7-Keto-containing formula (Lean System 7):
- Total weight loss in the 7-Keto group ranged as high as 19.3 lbs!
- Average weight loss was 6.3 lbs!
- A reported reduction of 4.3 inches in total waist and hip circumference!
In summary, the current data seems to give us some real confidence in the effectiveness of 7-Keto as a fat-loss agent. But what about its safety? And when is best to take it?
7-Keto: A User's Guide
The user's guide is the most important section of any article. This section explains "Real Solutions" to building your best body. There are a few things we need to cover here first: safety and the optimum time to use 7-Keto.
Safety
A series of trials have looked at both the safety and pharmacokinetics of 7-Keto. In animal studies, 7-Keto was shown to be safe and non-toxic to levels of 2,000 mg/kg in rats and 1,000 mg/kg in monkeys. That's a dose ten times above that recommended and shown to be effective for fat loss. Toxicity was assessed by full-blood chemistry, blood cell counts, and histological examination in 42 different tissues. Usually, when we get a non-human study like this, the doubting scientists like myself come crawling out of the woodwork to say, "Oh, but it's not a human study." So what human data does exist?
Davidson, et al., studied a series of doses ranging from 50 mg/day (25 mg twice daily) for seven days; 100 mg/day (50 mg twice daily) for seven days; and finally 200 mg/day (100 mg twice daily) for 28 days. Results demonstrated that at all doses, 7-Keto, in comparison to a placebo, presented no substantial impact on clinical blood markers of toxicity and health. This data was supported in further human trials, proving 7-Keto is not only effective but safe!
Dose & Timing
Pharmacokinetic data reveals that based on a single 100-mg dose, 7-Keto peaks in concentration in plasma after around two hours and then returns back to baseline concentrations after around five to six hours. Therefore, the simple message is take your 7-Keto around two hours prior to exercise because at this time, you will get the greatest thermogenic fat-burning effect.
The Future for 7-Keto
7-Keto has some great potential not only as a fat-loss agent but also on the anti-aging front as research shows us that as we age, natural levels of 7-Keto in our blood drop, making 7-Keto supplementation of greater importance if we want to keep our metabolism revved up as we age.
So even with the loss of the controversial ephedrine products, we still have a nutritional tool to add to our arsenal of exercise and a healthy diet to battle the obesity epidemic and achieve the American dream of a better body. Even better, 7-Keto has one added benefit that ephedrine products never enjoyed: safety!
As more research on 7-Keto appears, rest assured, we'll keep you updated as to how to apply this real nutrition solution to help you achieve your goals for building your best body.
References
Brookes, P.S., et al., "The Proton Permeability of Liposomes Made from Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Phospholipids: Comparison with Isolated Mitochondria," J Membr Biol 155 (1997) : 167-74.
Brookes, P.S., et al., "The Proton Permeability of Liposomes Made from Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Phospholipids: No Effect of Fatty Acid Composition," Biophys Acta 1330 (1997) : 157-64.
Davidson, M., et al., "Safety and Pharmacokinetic Study with Escalating Doses of 3-Acetyl-7-Oxo-Dehydroepiandrosterone in Healthy Male Volunteers," Clin Invest Med 23.5 (2000) : 300-10.
Henwood, S.M., et al., "An Escalating Dose of 3B-Acetoxyandrost-5-Ene-7,17-Dione (7-Oxo-DHEA-Acetate) in Rhesis Monkeys," Biochem and Biophys Res Com 254 (1999) : 124-6.
Jekabsons, M.B., et al., "T3 Stimulates Resting Metabolism and UCP-2 and UCP-3 mRNA but not Nonphosphorylating Mitochondrial Respiration in Mice," Am J Physiol 277.40 (1999) : E380-920.
Kalman, D.S., et al., "A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of 3-Acetyl-7-Oxo-Dehydroepiandrosterone in Healthy Overweight Adults," Curr Thera Res 61.7 (2000) : 435-442.
Lardy, H., et al., "An Acute Oral Gavage Study of 3B-Acetoxyandrost-5-Ene-7,17-Dione (7-Oxo-DHEA-Acetate) in Rats," Biochem and Biophys Res Com 254 (1999) : 120-3.
Lardy, H., et al., "Ergosteroids: Induction of Thermogenic Enzymes in Liver of Rats Treated with Steroids Derived from Dehydroepiandrosterone," Proc Natl Acad Sci 92 (1995) : 6617-19.
Marenich, L.P., "Excretion of Testosterone, Epitestosterone, Androstenedione and 7-Keto Dehydroepiandrosterone in Healthy Men of Different Ages," Probl Endokrinol 25.4 (1979) : 28-31.
Saito, M., and Ohashi, A., "Mitochondrial Uncoupling Protein as a Target of Pharmacotherapy for Obesity," Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi 118.5 (2001) : 327-33.
Zenk, J.L., et al., "The Effects of NaturaLean on Weight Loss: A Randomised, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial," Curr Ther Res 63 (2002) : 263-72.
Zenk, et al., "A Prospective, Randomized, Double Blind Study to Evaluate the Effect of Lean System 7 on Body Composition," FASEB 17.4 (2003) : Abstract #LB468.
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