Originally Posted by LaurenK
Yes and no. Find the studies and link them. I guess I should at least try and explain my answer lol. I think I understand what you're saying Lauren, but taking dietary supplements won't increase your oxygen intake very much. Ephedra was used to relieve asthma symptoms by its bronchodilating action, meaning it dilates the bronchioles that supply the lungs with oxygen but not in large amounts. Ephedrine can sharply raise blood pressure and heart rate. See the trade off? Let's not think about the pre-existing conditions that consumers didn't know about before taking ephedra..i.e arrhythmia. In the past the OTC asthma pills had maybe 5mg of Epinephrine, which is a small amount.
Slowly increasing AEROBIC sessions and committing to a healthy lifestyle increases oxygen intake. Improvements in fitness occur by increasing the body's use of oxygen (a.k.a., oxygen consumption). Whether the intensity is high and duration is short, or the intensity is low and duration is long, relatively the same amount of oxygen is utilized and the same number of calories is expended.
Also, Yoga helps increase your oxygen intake in a slow and controlled manner, well any deep breathing exercises will help. Eating plenty of raw fruits and veggies and not over cooking them increases oxygen b/c of the chlorophyll. So in essence a healthy lifestyle is the key. I think the Ephedra in fat loss pills were added for the thermogenic process. It is thought that ephedrine contributes to a thermogenic effect by causing the adrenal glands to dump epinephrine into the blood stream, leading to increased body temperature, and, therefore, expending more calories. Here's the brief pharmacology of ephedra:
--they can induce cardiac arrhythmias in susceptible people, such as those with underlying coronary artery disease
--increased mortality has been observed in patients with congestive heart failure who were treated with sympathomimetic drugs; studies that showed these adverse effects occurred in about 3 months of product use.
--Elevated blood pressure.
So that's all the FDA looked at when banning ephedra..lol. Basically oxygen is key in fat loss but no supplement will increase your ability to consume more oxygen. Again Aerobic (presence of oxygen) exercise is the mainstay of improving oxygen consumption. Don't believe everything you read in fitness magazines. Some of them are owned by supplement companies. I personally don't believe ephedra should have been banned. Actually, it's still used in cold remedies sold in storesIt's not the use but the abuse.
Ok I'm done typing..![]()




It's not the use but the abuse.
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