Forskolin causes fat loss of 9.9 lbs and muscle gain of 8.1 lbs in 3 months in obese men

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Thursday, July 03, 2008 1:54 pm Email this article
Men given 250 mg of forskolin extract containing 10% forskolin (25 mg of forskolin) twice a day lost 9.9 pounds of body fat and increased lean body mass by 8.1 pounds in three months compared to the placebo group which lost 1.1 pounds of body fat and gained 3.5 pounds of lean body mass according to a study from Michael Godard and others from the Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences' Applied Physiology Laboratory at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, USA.

"In summary, this study shows that forskolin causes positive changes in body composition in overweight and obese adult men," the paper concluded. Subjects

Subjects: 30 overweight and obese men

The study involved 30 overweight and obese men who, on average, were 24-years-old in the forskolin group and 28-years-old in the placebo group, had a body mass index (BMI) of 32.5 (obese), and 35 percent body fat.

 

Body Fat

Percent body fat decreased from 35% to 31% in the forskolin group

Percent body fat decreased from 35 percent at the beginning of the study to 31 percent after three months in the forskolin group.

There was no change in percent body fat in the placebo group.

 

Muscle

Lean body mass increased by 8.2 lbs in the forskolin group

Lean body mass (muscle) increased by 8.2 pounds in the forskolin group versus an increase of 3.5 pounds in the placebo group.

The difference between the groups was no statistically significant which means there was more than a 5 percent chance that the difference was due to random chance.

 

Weight

Body weight decreased by 0.2 lbs in the forskolin group vs a weight gain of 2.6 lbs in the placebo group

Body weight for the forskolin group decreased from 228.8 pounds to 228.6 pounds, a weight loss of 0.2 pounds versus the placebo group where weight increased from 221.1 pounds to 224.7 pounds, a weight gain of 2.6 pounds.

There was an increase in bone mass in the forskolin group which made up the difference in weight.

 

Total Testosterone

Total Testosterone: +17% in the forskolin group vs -1% in the placebo group

Total testosterone levels increased by 16.8 percent in the forskolin group versus a decrease of 1.1 percent in the placebo group.

 

Free Testosterone

Free Testosterone: +3.5% in the forskolin group vs -4.1% in the placebo group

Free testosterone levels increased by 3.5 percent in the forskolin group versus a decrease of 4.1 percent in the placebo group.

 

Resting Metabolism

Forskolin did not have a significant effect resting metabolism

“Follow-up tests revealed no significant changes in [resting metabolism] within either group,” the study noted.

 

Blood Pressure

No significant changes in blood pressure

There were no significant changes in blood pressure in either group.

Systolic pressure decreased from 133 mmHg to 127 mmHg in the forskolin group, which was not statistically significant.

Systolic pressure also decreased in the placebo group from 130 mmHg to 125 mmHg, which also was not statistically significant.

Previous studies (Lindner et al, 1978) found that forskolin could increase contractions of the heart which, in turn, reduced blood pressure.

 

Concluson

Conclusion: Forskolin may have caused fat loss, increased muscle and increase body mass by increasing cAMP

“One of the potential explanations for the decrease in fat mass and body fat percentage may have occurred through adenylate cyclase activation and, thus, cAMP accumulation within adipose tissue, which stimulated free fatty acid release and lipolysis [the release of fat from fat cells,” the study noted.

“[Resting metabolism] did not significantly change across time during this study, implying that, in a 12-week study, forskolin did not increase metabolic rate.”

“These findings are extremely important because of forskolin’s mechanism of action. The majority of previous weight loss aids worked through adrenergic receptor activation. Adrenergic receptor activation can down-regulate over time and result in diminished lipolytic effects. Forskolin bypasses the adrenergic activation step and increases cAMP levels by either stimulating adenylate cyclase or by increasing the cAMP accumulating properties of catecholamines. Therefore, forskolin could possibly be used for long periods of time without diminished lipolytic effects in conjunction with increasing LBM. Further research into the long-term effects of forskolin is needed to accurately asses this theory.”

REFERENCE

Godard M, Johnson B, Richmond S. Body composition and hormonal adaptations associated with forskolin consumption in overweight and obese men. Obes Res. 2005 Aug, 13(8):1335-43.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Michael Godard
University of Kansas
Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences
Applied Physiology Laboratory
1301 Sunnyside Avenue
101DJ Robinson Center
Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
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Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Forskolin (from the plant Coleus forskohlii)