Lucky 7

Who doesn’t want a healthy metabolism that makes it possible to lose weight and stay slim? Unfortunately, the human body’s metabolic rate naturally starts slowing in our 30s, contributing to stubborn weight gain. And at any age, weight-loss diets slow down metabolism, making it difficult to keep pounds off.

But 7-keto-a nutrient that is naturally present in our bodies but declines with age-can help both problems. It isn’t a stimulant, so it doesn’t cause jitters. What it does is improve calorie-burning ability at the most basic level by increasing resting metabolic rate.

Calorie Burning Basics

Resting metabolic rate is the number of calories a body burns just by breathing and performing functions that enable it to stay alive. This doesn’t include activities such as bathing, dressing, cooking, driving, or any type of formal exercise.

It may come as a surprise that for most people, resting metabolic rate represents 60-70 percent of the calories their bodies burn each day. Everything else, including formal exercise, generally makes up the remaining 30-40 percent. Because our resting metabolic rate consumes such a large percentage of calories, even slight variations over time can contribute significantly to weight gain or loss.

This isn’t to say that exercise isn’t important. In fact, any type of resistance exercise that helps build lean muscle contributes to a healthy metabolism simply because lean tissue burns more calories than fat. And both aerobic and resistance exercise improve the ability of cells to absorb and burn food as fuel, rather than storing calories as fat. However, research shows that as part of a weight-loss program, 7-keto offers additional benefits.

How 7-Keto Enhances Diets

When we lose weight, our resting metabolic rate naturally decreases, which sets the stage for weight regain. But a study published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry found that 7-keto can help reverse such a decline in metabolism.

In the study, researchers followed 40 men and women who took either 100 mg of 7-keto twice daily, or a placebo. They found that while subjects’ resting metabolic rate decreased with the placebo, it increased with 7-keto. The difference amounted to an average of 96 calories per day. In other words, those taking 7-keto burned an extra 96 calories daily just to maintain basic body functions, before expending any energy on normal daily activities and exercise.

While 96 calories may not seem like a lot, it can make a difference over time. According to the widely accepted premise that burning an extra 3,500 calories produces a weight loss of one pound, burning an extra 96 calories daily could theoretically produce the loss of 10 pounds during the course of a year.

Researchers have also measured weight loss with 7-keto. In an 8-week study of 23 overweight people, published in Current Therapeutic Research, half took 100 mg of 7-keto twice daily while the other half took a placebo. Both groups followed a diet containing approximately 1,800 calories daily and did three workouts per week. After two months, those taking 7-keto lost an average of 6.3 pounds, compared to 2.1 pounds in the placebo group. Tests of various health markers found that the supplement produced no adverse effects.

Other studies have found similar weight-loss results and suggest that 7-keto improves the ability to burn stored fat among overweight people. And, it may improve age-related decline in resting metabolic rate.

How to Benefit from 7-Keto

For optimum results, use the supplement as part of a healthy diet and exercise program. Take 100 mg twice daily (morning and evening) to maintain stable blood levels of the nutrient.

Because it’s not a stimulant, 7-keto can safely be taken before bedtime. If you take a combination weight-loss formula containing 7-keto, however, check the label, as other ingredients can interfere with sleep if taken late in the day. Common weight-loss ingredients with stimulant properties include bitter orange, guarana, green tea, Yerba maté, and kola nut.

Country Life
7-KETO Trim
These certified vegan caps are gluten free and combine 100 mg of 7-Keto DHEA with other slimmers-acetyl-L-carnitine and L-tyrosine.

Life-Flo Health
7-KETO DHEA Metabolite
Each measured-dose pump provides 15 mg of natural 7-Keto DHEA, which is quickly absorbed into the skin.

NOW Foods
7-KETO
This formula is designed to support thermogenesis and weight management with 100 mg of 7-Keto in each veggie cap.

Bonus Benefit
According to research presented at a meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 7-keto can improve immune function among men and women age 65 or older.