Are there supplements and herbs that can increase metabolism?
Yes, but there’s not a lot of solid science behind them, Bryant says. Green tea and caffeine are the most studied supplements in terms of metabolic boost. Mullin cites a 2007 study in the journal Obesity that found drinking a beverage containing green tea catechin, caffeine and calcium 3 times a day increased 24-hour energy expenditure by 4.6% in healthy, young, lean men and women.4 Talbott recommends green tea, calcium and thiamine to control metabolism. “The real value of these supplements is not that they ‘increase’ metabolism but rather that they help to prevent metabolism from dropping as you lose weight,” he says. Are there really foods that increase metabolic burn? No. “No foods have the magical quality to burn the calories away,” Gaesser says. However, there is a thermic effect to food — the digestion process burns calories and boosts metabolism. Gaesser cites an article he wrote scheduled to be published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in the summer of 2007
