Kola Nut For Fat Loss And Energy
Cola Acuminata | Cola Nitida
The Origins Of Kola Nut
The kola nut is the seed of several types of evergreen trees that originate from Africa. They are all from the Cola family and at one point in time the ingredient was a part of the original Coca Cola formula. In fact, one half of the name is precisely derived from this fun fact, with the other half being another ingredient that is no longer part of the formula either – cocaine. (1) The trees themselves are about 65 feet tall, and they have long, leather-like leaves. They also sprout cream-colored flowers that have purplish-brown striations, along with a star-shaped fruit. If you open the fruit, inside you’ll find roughly a dozen seeds. These seeds are the kola nuts. They have a pleasant smell, although the taste can be a bit bitter upon first bite. They have been commonly chewed throughout West Africa for hundreds of years – if not longer – for both their stimulant effects and for cultural reasons.
The Unique Nutritional Profile Of Kola Nut
Kola nuts contain about 2–4% caffeine and theobromine, as well as tannins, alkaloids, saponins, and flavonoids. (2)
If you buy kola nut as a supplement, particularly in pill or capsule form, then it may contain other ingredients. These other ingredients are most often unnecessary fillers and supplements with too many ingredients that are not the main (active) ingredient should be avoided. In addition, you may find supplements where kola nut is one of several active compounds in a fat-burner stack or pre-workout stack. Most of the time these types of products are best avoided as well. Although they may be effective in the sense of giving you a strong energy boost or increasing your metabolism, they also come with greater risks and may be potentially harmful to your health.
Stick to kola nut products where kola nut is the main ingredient and there isn’t too much more than that. Keep it simple.
Can Kola Nut Improve Your Workout?
Once again, one of the key ingredients that makes kola nut a useful ergogenic is caffeine. Caffeine has been extensively studied and documented for its performance enhancing capabilities.
One study, which cited 9 other studies on caffeine, noted the following:
The effective dosage of caffeine, without apparent adverse effects, ranges from 3 to 9 mg/kg. At this dose, caffeine can increase exercise time to fatigue by 20–50% in humans during intensive running and cycling and in rats during prolonged treadmill running.(3)
Is Kola Nut Better For Weight Loss Than Pure Caffeine?
We already know that caffeine has been shown to boost resting metabolism. For example, one study demonstrated that a single-dose of 100 mg orally ingested caffeine increased the resting metabolic rate of both lean and postobese human subjects by 3 to 4 percent over the course of 150 minutes. (4)
What’s really interesting about kola nut with respect to weight loss, is that it has been shown in at least one study to be even more effective than both pure caffeine and a placebo. Granted, the study was on mice and not people, but it’s still worth noting the results.
There was a decrease in food intake in both the kola nut-fed group and caffeine-fed group of mice when compared to the control. The food intake in the kola nut-fed group of mice was also lower when compared to the caffeine-fed group of mice. There was a marked decrease in body weight in the kola nut-fed group of mice when compared to the control. The body weight in the caffeine-fed group of mice also decreased significantly compared to the control although not as much as the kola nut-fed group. (5)
Based on the above, it’s evident that caffeine is an effective weight loss aid, but that there are additional plant compounds found in kola nut that act synergistically with the caffeine to produce an even stronger effect.
What To Watch Out For When Consuming Kola Nut
As with all of the other caffeine-containing performance enhancers on this page, be mindful of how much caffeine you consume in a day. It also bears repeating that a small percentage of the general population is sensitive to theobromine and because kola nut has it, you should be aware of that. For most people it shouldn’t be an issue though. To give you an idea, theobromine is considered toxic to humans at a dose of 1,000 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. (6)
For example’s sake, let’s say you weigh 80 kilograms (about 176 pounds). You’d have to consume 80,000 milligrams of theobromine to hit the toxicity level at that weight. You’d most likely vomit or your heart would explode from a caffeine overdose before you’d get anywhere near that amount from consuming kola nut.
Try These Kola Nut Powders and Kola Nut Tincture
Since Kola Nut as a supplement is relatively unknown compared to green tea for example, there are far fewer options for getting your hands on a good powder or tincture. Luckily, you’re on this page and we did the legwork for you. Below you’ll find a top quality kola nut powder from Nigeria, then a tincture, and finally, another powder that comes in a larger bulk size format. You can use the powders to make your own capsules or you can stir them into a beverage of your choice. Some people even attempt to make their own homemade coca-cola using the kola nut powder as their base. Whichever way you decide to use it, you can be sure that it’s going to rev up your metabolism and give you that extra kick that you’re looking for.
The Best Kola Nut To Crush Your Next Workout
The first is a top quality powder from Nigeria. The second is a potent kola nut tincture. The third is a budget friendly powder option.
100% Kola Nut Powder For Healthy Energy
Natural Kola Nut Energy Powder by Bissy Energy, 7.4oz
80mg Of Caffeine Per 1 Teaspoon
42 Servings (1 Teaspoon = 1 Serving)
Also Contains Theobromine
Plus Antioxidants + Fiber
Kola Nut Extract For
Instant Energy
Sunflower Botanicals Kola Nut Extract, 2oz Bottle
Naturally Occurring Caffeine
Vegan, Non-GMO
Antioxidants + Theobromine
Great Way To Boost Metabolism
100% Kola Nut Powder In
1 Pound Bulk Size
Starwest Botanicals 100% Kola Nut Powder, 16oz
Quality Budget Option
Sourced From Ivory Coast
Caffeine + Theobromine
Add To Smoothies Or Make A Tincture
The Best Kola Nut
To Crush Your Next Workout
The 1st - a quality powder from Nigeria
The 2nd - a potent kola nut tincture
The 3rd - a budget friendly powder
100% Kola Nut Powder
For Healthy Energy
Natural Kola Nut Energy Powder by Bissy Energy, 7.4oz
80mg Of Caffeine Per 1 Teaspoon
42 Servings (1 Teaspoon = 1 Serving)
Also Contains Theobromine
Plus Antioxidants + Fiber
Pure Kola Nut Extract For
Fast-Acting Energy
Sunflower Botanicals Kola Nut Extract, 2oz Bottle
Naturally Occurring Caffeine
Vegan, Non-GMO
Antioxidants + Theobromine
Great Way To Boost Metabolism
100% Kola Nut Powder In
1 Pound Bulk Size
Starwest Botanicals 100% Kola Nut Powder, 16oz
Quality Budget Option
Sourced From Ivory Coast
Caffeine + Theobromine
Add To Smoothies Or Make A Tincture
Kola nut is an excellent caffeinated performance enhancer that has shown in studies to have positive impact on weight loss. It not only contains caffeine, but it’s loaded with other phytochemicals that have their own numerous health benefits for the human body.
Coffee
The world’s most popular pick me up beverage doesn’t require much of an introduction, but there are some useful things you should know about it.
Cordyceps
Wild grown, high altitude Cordyceps runs for about $50,000 for one kilogram, or about $10 for one single piece. Don't worry, you can get it for much less.
Green Tea
Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is one of the world’s most popular beverages. It not only has lots of health benefits, but it's also an excellent fat burner.
Guarana
Guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a fruit, although the word is interchangeably used to refer to its seeds and to soft drinks where it is the active ingredient.
Guayusa
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa) is in the same family as Yerba Mate and it's been used by humans for at least 1,500 years according to archeological evidence.
Yohimbine
Pausinystalia yohimbe, is one of several different plant species in the pausinystalia family that contain yohimbine, a potent fat burner.