What is Metabo Flex?
Metabo Flex is a dietary supplement designed to address the root cause of excessive weight gain. By integrating six critical rainforest super nutrients and plants, users are claimed to experience optimal metabolic performance, calorie burning, fat burning, liver, heart and brain functions, regular blood sugar and pressure levels, and hunger control - to name a few! But how exactly can one supplement produce so many changes across your body? We need to look deeper into Metabo Flex's formulation.

How Does Metabo Flex Work?
Metabo Flex was designed to address what its creators believe to be another underlying cause of unexplained weight gain: metabolic inflexibility. As defined by researchers in a 2022 review, a metabolically flexible state is one in which the metabolism alternates between glucose and fatty acids as fuel sources during feeding or fasting periods. Doing this helps lower hyperglycemia (high blood sugar after meals) while providing your brain with healthy sources of glucose as well.

Additionally, maintaining flexibility has been claimed to reduce the risk of overwhelming our mitochondrial membrane potential (an essential aspect of energy storage), thus decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and other metabolites, protein modification, cell damage, and insulin resistance - ultimately leading to the potential development of unwanted health conditions. Surprisingly, inactive adults tend to have an imbalance between energy delivery and utilization, making combatting metabolic inflexibility even more critical.

Researchers believe the key to reversing metabolic inflexibility is relieving ROS buildup caused by carbon overload in mitochondria and decongesting it completely. Exercise (for insulin action), intermittent fasting (introducing energy restriction for cellular transition), sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (prescription medications for lowering blood sugar), cold exposure, and hypobaric hypoxia (low oxygen availability) have all been recommended thus far.

Another study [1] looking into metabolic inflexibility revealed that insulin resistance (or our cells', tissues' and organs' inability to respond to the insulin hormone) was a significant contributor. Whether present in muscle or not, insulin resistance affects mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and leads to an excess accumulation of lipid metabolites. Over time, both insulin resistance and metabolic inflexibility increase one's likelihood of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, weight gain or obesity due to hindered fat use by hindering full utilization of stored calories by hindering energy production by the body.

Now that the basics of Metabo Flex have been established let's explore its ingredient list.
What goes into Metabo Flex?
Metabo Flex contains six significant components. The first five listed below make up its proprietary blend (320mg):

Ocimum Sanctum
Ocimum sanctum, also known as Holy basil or Tulsi, is an Indian herb widely used in Ayurvedic medicine to reduce physical, chemical, metabolic, and psychological stress. In Metabo Flex, it plays a pivotal role in relieving metabolic stress by bringing blood sugar, pressure and lipid levels back within normal ranges [2]. A pilot investigation with 30 overweight/obese participants found that taking 250mg twice daily on an empty stomach for eight weeks reduced triglyceride levels, LDL/HDL levels, plasma insulin resistance [4,5], BMI plasma insulin levels [6,7], plasma insulin resistance [1, 8 weeks][2, 9].

Camellia Sinensis
Camellia Sinensis is an evergreen shrub whose leaves and leaf buds are used to make green and black teas, among other beverages. It contains high concentrations of polyphenols such as epigallocatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, and epicatechin that help prevent free radical damage by inhibiting oxidation of other molecules known to lead to free radicals. Animal and human studies have even demonstrated this ingredient's potential benefits for weight reduction, metabolic syndrome treatment, and diabetes prevention/cardiovascular disease[3] while providing additional benefits from studies conducted on animals [2] and diabetes prevention/cardiovascular health[3, 4].

The fundamental mechanisms responsible for these outcomes are reduced lipid absorption and elevated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). The latter factor reduces gluconeogenesis and fatty acid synthesis while amplifying metabolism (leading to body weight reduction and alleviating metabolic syndrome symptoms).

Chlorogenic Acid
Chlorogenic acid, commonly found in coffee and coffee beans, has been discovered to lower blood sugar levels and may even have anti-diabetic properties. With CGA's biologically active polyphenol activity as well as antioxidant, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory/pyretic/neurophysiological/obesity/antiviral/microbial properties along with hypertension-reducing effects, these findings should come as no shockers.

Additionally, promising research indicates that CGA may regulate lipid and glucose metabolism and obesity. One source [4] highlighted the protective mechanisms of CA: its ability to reduce oxidative stress and, thus, the adverse effects associated with an unbalanced intracellular redox state.

L-Carnitine
L-carnitine is an amino acid believed to increase energy production by transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria of our cells. This ingredient makes sense for weight loss initiatives since burning fat for energy usually translates to possible fat loss effects; however, people should note these may differ depending on individual body types. Human studies have demonstrated how L-carnitine can help reverse brain function related to Alzheimer's and other brain illnesses; additional benefits include lower blood pressure, improved exercise performance and reduced type 2 diabetes symptoms.

Resveratrol
Resveratrol is an antioxidant-rich plant molecule. Studies have reported its potential to lower blood pressure through its antioxidant actions, especially by relieving stress on arterial walls with each heartbeat. Animal studies have revealed resveratrol's effect on total cholesterol, body weight, good (HDL) cholesterol levels and bad (LDL) cholesterol, thus decreasing plaque buildup within arterial walls. This compound has also been known to reduce alarming (LDL) cholesterol concentrations.

Resveratrol may help regulate blood sugar by increasing insulin sensitivity, potentially protecting against diabetic complications. This could be due to blocking a specific enzyme that converts glucose to sorbitol (sugar alcohol). Avoiding this buildup of sorbitol in people with diabetes is particularly important since it causes cell-damaging oxidative stress. Furthermore, resveratrol has been recognized for activating AMPK (known to regulate blood sugar levels).

Chromium (200mcg)
Chromium is a trace element that has long been used to treat diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and high blood cholesterol. With diabetes in particular, research is needed into whether chromium can improve insulin function; further investigation is necessary. Furthermore, its impact on metabolic syndrome (i.e. heart disease risk factors and type 2 diabetes risk) also needs further exploration, as does how chromium affects insulin resistance - though inconsistent results remain.