Written by Kyle Hunt | BEXSci.
Fact checked by Andrew Lenau, ISSA CPT & Sports Nutritionist
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Fat burners have become increasingly popular as a supplement choice for those looking to lose weight. But in order to use them effectively, it's important to understand how they work and how they may impact you.
Part of this understanding is knowing how long fat burners stay in your system, which will help you determine the best fat burner for you and when to take it.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at the science behind fat burners and explore how they work to aid weight loss. Additionally, we'll discuss how long fat burners stay in your system and what factors affect their duration of action.
So, if you're considering adding fat burners to help you hit your fat and weight loss goals, read on to learn what you need to know about their effects on your body.
What Is A Fat Burner?
A fat burner is a supplement created to help you lose weight quicker and easier. And since fat loss is such a long and challenging process, it's no wonder fat burners are so popular.
Although fat burners are not magic, several ingredients have strong evidence of effectiveness in burning fat and improving your metabolism. The key is pairing a fat burner with a calorie-restricted diet and a consistent workout schedule.
What Do Fat Burners Do?
When discussing what a fat burner is and what it does, it's important to note that a quality fat burner works in a multitude of ways.
Many ingredients provide a valuable energy boost during a prolonged diet. Additionally, fat burners can increase fat metabolism or energy expenditure, reduce appetite, or affect nutrient partitioning.
Often, these products contain a stack of ingredients, increasing the product's overall effectiveness.
How Do Fat Burners Affect Your Body?
While the specific effects can vary depending on the ingredient profile of the fat burner, here are some general ways fat burners affect the body:
- Improves your energy: Fat burners often contain stimulants like caffeine and synephrine that can boost energy. Taking these products before exercise can help improve athletic performance and increase training motivation.
- Increases metabolism and promote fat oxidation: Another benefit of stimulant-based fat burners is the ability to increase the body's metabolic rate and fat oxidation. Caffeine, synephrine, and Yohimbine are the big players in this. However, non-stimulant-based ingredients such as capsicum, EGCG, and Forskolin can do the same.
- Reduces appetite: Some fat burners contain ingredients that decrease appetite or increase satiety. Hunger is a diet killer. If taking a fat burner allows you to adhere to your diet better, it will ultimately result in more weight loss.
If you're interested in learning more about how a fat burner impacts your body, check out our article: Do Fat Burners Work?
Most Common Fat Burner Ingredients
In order to understand how long fat burners stay in your system, you need to know what products tend to be included in these supplements, as they play a role in how long a fat burner will continue affecting you.
1) Caffeine:
You probably regularly consume one of the most common fat-burning ingredients without knowing it. Most of us use caffeine for our morning energy boost, but it's also a potent weight-loss ingredient and forms the backbone of most fat-burners.
Caffeine is so effective that you can even buy caffeine pills as a way to boost your energy.
2) Yohimbine:
Yohimbine is a bioactive compound derived from the bark of the central African Yohimbe tree. It's commonly used in fat burners for its potential ability to enhance weight loss by promoting fat breakdown and increasing energy expenditure.
One unique aspect of Yohimbine is that it works better in a fasted state1.
3) Synephrine:
Synephrine is a naturally occurring alkaloid compound found in bitter oranges. It's often used in weight loss supplements to increase metabolic rate, suppress appetite, and enhance fat metabolism.
4) Green Tea Extract:
Green tea extract comes from green tea leaves. It contains high levels of antioxidants and plant compounds called catechins, which are believed to provide various health benefits.
It's often included in weight loss supplements because it can increase fat oxidation and reduce fat cells. It also works synergistically with caffeine2.
Instant Knockout and Old School Labs Vintage Burn are two of our favorite fat burners that include green tea extract.
5) Capsaicin:
Capsaicin is the ingredient in hot peppers that gives them their spice.
As a supplement, it is one of the best non-stimulant fat-burning ingredients. In fact, research shows taking capsaicin at mealtime promotes fat oxidation without increasing blood pressure3.
6) Forskolin:
Forskolin is used for various purposes, including as a natural testosterone booster, an anti-inflammatory agent, and a fat burner. Forskolin stimulates an enzyme that increases cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels.
Increased cAMP levels are linked to improved fat loss. Forskolin improved body composition in a 12-week study of overweight men4.
How Long Do Fat Burners Stay In Your System?
The length of time that fat burners stay in your system can vary depending on several factors, including the specific ingredients in the supplement, dosage, and individual differences in metabolism and excretion.
Generally, most fat burners are designed to be taken daily and can have effects that last for several hours. However, the duration of action can vary. Some ingredients have a half-life of just a few hours, while others can remain active in the body for several days.
A supplement or drug half-life is the amount of time it takes for the concentration of the ingredient to be reduced to half its original value. The half-life determines how long a fat burner stays in your system.
Knowing how long a fat burner stays in your system is essential because it will affect the product's timing. For example, the half-life of caffeine is about five hours. If you take fat burners with 200mg of caffeine at 5pm, you will still have 100mg in your body at 10pm.
For this reason, fat burners are best taken early in the day, unless you opt for a non-stimulant fat burner or even a nighttime fat burner.
Here is a list of the half-lives for common fat burner ingredients.
- Caffeine: 5 hours
- Yohimbine: 30 min - 2.5 hours
- Synephrine: 2 hours
- Green Tea Extract: 2-3 hours
- Capsaicin: 1-2 hours
- Forskolin: No clear data
Does A Product's Half Life Impact Weight Loss?
For the most part, how long a fat burner stays in your system will not impact the product's effectiveness or how fat burners work.
The benefits of each ingredient are independent of their half-life. For example, Yohimbine is fast acting, with some reports of its half-life being only 36 minutes.
Despite the short half-life, it's still an effective fat-loss product.
What Fat Burner Ingredients Stay In Your System The Longest?
Generally, taking fat burners with stimulants will stay in your system the longest. Caffeine has a long half-life of around five hours. Also, since stimulants can have unpleasant side effects if taken too close together, you want to be mindful of when you use them.
From a timing standpoint, if you need to take two doses of a caffeine-based fat burner, you should ensure you get the first dose early in the morning, so the second dose can come early in the afternoon.
What Are The Best Fat Burners?
There are many quality fat-burning products on the market that can help you shed pounds and lose fat. The effectiveness of a fat burner supplement depends on various factors, including the formula, quality of the manufacturer, third-party testing, and price.
In my opinion, the most significant factor in fat burner supplements is the formula. If you check out our articles on the Best Fat Burners For Men and the Best Fat Burners For Women, we've featured multiple products that are effective and will help support your weight loss goals.
When looking for a fat burner, choose a supplement with a few of the following ingredients: Caffeine, synephrine, Yohimbine, green tea extract, capsaicin, and Forskolin.
A quality fat-burning supplement doesn't need to include all these, but it should have at least two or three to help you reduce your body fat. You can find great options for both stimulant fat burners and non-stimulant fat burners.
You can't go wrong with PhenQ.
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How Long Do Fat Burners Remain In Your System? Final Takeaways
To wrap things up, understanding how long fat burning supplements stay in your system is important to consider when choosing a supplement to support your weight loss goals.
While the length of time can vary, knowing the half-life of critical fat-burning ingredients can help you decide which supplements to try. That said, choosing a fat-burning supplement with evidence-based ingredients is the best way to go.
With dedication, consistency, a solid workout routine, healthy diet, and the right tools, you can achieve your weight loss goals and live your best life.
Looking for a great fat burner to help you lose weight? Check out the Best Fat Burners For Men and the Best Fat Burners For Women. Or, if you're interested in a caffeine-free supplement, take a look at the Best Non-Stimulant Fat Burners.
References:
- Galitzky J, Taouis M, Berlan M, Rivière D, Garrigues M, Lafontan M. Alpha 2-antagonist compounds and lipid mobilization: evidence for a lipid mobilizing effect of oral Yohimbine in healthy male volunteers. Eur J Clin Invest. 1988 Dec. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1988.tb01272.x. PMID: 2906290.
- Hursel R, Viechtbauer W, Dulloo AG, Tremblay A, Tappy L, Rumpler W, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. The effects of catechin-rich teas and caffeine on energy expenditure and fat oxidation: a meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2011 Jul.. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00862.x. Epub 2011 Mar 2. PMID: 21366839.
- Janssens PL, Hursel R, Martens EA, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Acute effects of capsaicin on energy expenditure and fat oxidation in negative energy balance. PLoS One. 2013 Jul 2;8(7):e67786. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067786. PMID: 23844093; PMCID: PMC3699483.
- Godard MP, Johnson BA, Richmond SR. Body composition and hormonal adaptations associated with forskolin consumption in overweight and obese men. Obes Res. 2005 Aug. doi: 10.1038/oby.2005.162. PMID: 16129715.
Kyle Hunt
Author