Energy Pills are very similar to those fat burning tablets we see on the market today. Both work to speed up your metabolism by providing chemical stimulants, some of which are naturally made in the human body. What separates the fat burner from the stay alert energy pill is that there's an addition of fat burning chemicals which raise your energy levels to the point of burning fat. Most of the ingredients in energy pills are converted into caffeine or ephedrine in the body which speeds up your metabolism and gives you more energy. Caffeine works in the body by blocking adenosine from binding with adenosine nerve cell receptors. Adenosine is part of what makes you feel drowsy. Caffeine stops this by binding with the adenosine receptors instead. Also, the pituitary gland will notice that your nerve receptors aren't binding with Adenosine and slowing down so it thinks that something is wrong and initiates your 'fight or flight' response by releasing epinephrine into the blood. This makes you feel excited and raring to go. The properties that make Ephedrine effective in keeping you alert aren't well understood. It's structurally related to amphetamines which themselves add to the natural abilities of the neurotransmitters of norephinephrine and epinephrine. Ephedrine has been shown to stimulate blood pressure and increase heart rate. Most energy pills contain Kola Nut, Guaruana extract, Bitter Orange Extract, Gotu Kola, Ma Huang (Ephedra Plant) and Ginseng root. Kola Nut contains caffeine and interestingly is one of the original ingredients of the first 'Cola' drinks. Guaruana contains an agent called guaranine, which is identical to caffeine. Bitter orange contains many chemicals called amines which stimulate the body's metabolism. Gotu Kola contains three chemicals, triterpene glycoside, brahmoside/brahminoside and madecassoside. It's been shown to aid the circulatory system. Ma Huang contains ephedrine. |
