FORSKOLIN FOR WEIGHT LOSS (COLEUS FORSKOHLII)

Forskolin is a compound derived from the coleus forskohlii plant, which belongs to the mint family and grows in subtropical areas of India, Thailand and Burma.

Forskolin has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments such as allergies, cardiovascular diseases, glaucoma, psoriasis, hypothyroidism and respiratory problems.

Its effects on overall bodily healthy are attributed to its ability to raise cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate), which is considered to be the most important cell-regulating compound in the body.

This increase in cAMP levels also raises thyroid hormone production and release, which ultimately leads to an increase in thermogenesis (calories burned as heat) and an acceleration of the fat burning metabolism.

What does the actual research have to say about forskolin benefits in terms of fat loss?

So far there is very little evidence to suggest that forskolin supplements will produce a measurable effect on fat loss or body composition.

The majority of the studies showing forskolin’s effects on raising cAMP levels were done in-vitro (in test tubes), which doesn’t tell us much about its effects in living organisms.

The studies that have been conducted in humans were done using very small groups and were also poorly controlled.

The main study that manufacturers point to as evidence for forskolin benefits on weight loss is one in which it was “proven” that adding forskolin to an ephedrine/caffeine mixture produced fat loss in overweight women.

The obvious flaw here is that ephedrine/caffeine is already a research-proven combination, and there was no data to suggest that the addition of forskolin produced fat loss beyond normal levels.

The only study ever conducted that did show some promise (Journal Of Obesity Research, August 2005) demonstrated some minor benefits from forskolin supplementation on a group of 30 overweight men.

The study ran for 12 weeks and used either 250mg of 10% forskolin twice per day or a placebo. The group receiving the forskolin showed a statistically significant increase in lean body mass and decrease in body fat.

Beyond this one study, forskolin supplements really don’t have much going for them.

The Bottom Line On Forskolin For Now

Based on the lack of human studies available, I don’t see any good reason to spend your cash on a forskolin supplement at this point.

The only situation where it might make sense is if all of your basic fat burning supplement needs are already met, money is not an issue and you want to experiment with something new just for kicks.

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