Quercetin Increases Fat Metabolism & Fat Burning

Mitochondrial biogenesis is the process by which new mitochondria are formed in the cell. Mitochondria are key regulators of the metabolic activity of the cell, and are important for fat metabolism. The increase of muscle mitochondria during cardiovascular exercise plays an important role in the increase in maximal oxygen uptake. In addition, there is a shift in substrate utilization toward increased oxidation of fat. The more mitochondria a person has, the more fat can be utilized. In fact, many supplement companies are developing products that can create more mitochondria to prevent obesity. More mitochondria means more fat mobilization, so increasing mitochondria is a good thing for burning fat.

In addition to doing cardio, which increases mitochondrial biogenesis— the birth of mitochondria— researchers from University of South Carolina found that adding quercetin to your supplement stack may help peel off some fat, improve your exercise stamina, and reduce fatigue. Quercetin is one of the most abundant natural flavonoids, and is present in a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and berries. These compounds have multiple biological properties including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and perhaps most exciting— the ability to increase mitochondrial biogenesis.

Another good thing about quercetin is that it has psychostimulant properties. Quercetin, like caffeine, is an adenosine A1 receptor antagonist, and can cause a delay in fatigue that occurs with caffeine— which results at least in part from its ability to block adenosine receptors in the brain. Quercetin may offer some of the same psychostimulant properties of caffeine, without side effects such as increased heart rate or blood pressure.

Researchers assigned 12 volunteers to one of two treatments: (a) 500 mg of quercetin twice daily dissolved in vitamin-enriched Tang or (b) a non-distinguishable placebo (Tang). Baseline oxygen consumption and bike-ride times to fatigue were established. Amazingly, researchers found that dietary supplementation with quercetin (500 mg twice daily for just seven days) increased both oxygen consumption and endurance capacity in healthy participants. The researchers speculated that the increase in oxygen consumption and endurance capacity could be due to quercetin’s ability to increase mitochondrial biogenesis, which causes an increase in mitochondria, which enhance fat oxidation. The findings could also be due to be quercetin’s ability to stimulate the same receptors as caffeine, and delay fatigue.

Reference:

Davis JM, Carlstedt CJ, Chen S, Carmichael MD, Murphy EA. The dietary flavonoid quercetin increases VO(2max) and endurance capacity. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2010 Feb;20(1):56-62.

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