Previous studies have indicated that food cravings are significantly related to food intake with specific cravings correlating with types of food consumed [24] and a high-fat diet is a strong risk factor for the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome, as a result of increased energy density and overall caloric intake [41]. Caffeine, in isolation or in combination with other bioactive nutritional

compounds, has also been shown in multiple human PLX-4720 manufacturer clinical trials to increase the perception of energy, blunt appetite, and improve measures of mood, alertness, attention, and concentration [14, 42, 43]. Caffeine may be a thermogenic potentiator in METABO, as it has been shown to increase energy expenditure by 4-5% and fat oxidation by 10-16%, in addition to enhancing endurance and high-intensity exercise performance [44, 45]. Although subject demographics were FDA-approved Drug Library solubility dmso similar between groups, there was greater attrition of the placebo group relative to METABO. Most of the attrition was the result of poor compliance with the diet, supplement and/or exercise program. It has been reported that decreased levels of mental and physical

energy and increased cravings for energy-dense foods can diminish dietary and exercise adherence during outpatient weight loss programs [46, 47]. A notable finding in this regard is that, compared to the placebo group, the METABO group experienced a significant increase in their energy levels and decreased cravings for energy-dense foods. Future studies may examine if METABO improves adherence to a comprehensive diet BMS345541 in vivo and exercise weight loss program. Gender differences were not explored in our study, but future investigations are currently underway in an attempt to answer this question. The authors would like to clarify why the data presented in Table  3 does not appear to underfeed each subject by 500 kcals/day. The mean

target caloric intake for the METABO group using the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation multiplied by an activity factor of 1.2 –(minus) 500 kcal equals 1955 kcal/day. The target intake for placebo Erythromycin using same method was 1907 kcal/day. We realize these targets are greater than the mean of each group’s reported baseline caloric intake based on three-day food records. However, three-day food records are notorious for recall bias and an underestimation of actual energy consumption [48]. Thus, it is not surprising that both groups moved closer to their “target” kcal/day intake over the course of this 8 week study. The target caloric intakes being greater than the reported intakes from baseline (pre-intervention) three-day food records helps to explain why both groups may have actually increased their reported intakes by 4% and 9% for METABO and placebo, respectively.