Best Metabolism Boosters

Written by John Dixon

Fact Checked by: Roger Thomas

Updated:

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There are a couple of ways in which you can look at metabolism boosters.

First, you can see them as miracle cures that will ramp up your energy consumption to the point at which you can effortlessly lose weight. Simply pop a couple of pills every day, eat what you want, and wait for your abs to emerge.

You’ll be waiting a long time. This first view is false. It is what helps paint metabolism boosters as snake oil – a useless ‘magic pill’ that represents nothing more than a waste of money and hope.

The second way to look at them is far more useful and illuminating and shows how useful the right products really can be. They are not magic pills. If you want to lose weight, you will need to introduce a caloric deficit into your diet. You will probably need to live a slightly more active lifestyle too.

Combined – eating less and doing more can bring in a deficit of 500-1000 calories per day, which should help you to lose around 1-2 lbs per week. Most of this will be body fat, though some will be from water and lean mass (muscle).

Your metabolism may slow down during a prolonged calorie deficit. Even if it doesn’t, few of us enjoy metabolisms as efficient as they could be. Anything to keep our metabolisms functioning at optimum rates will help us to live more energetically – and, of course, to lose weight. Anything that can help you to retain lean muscle whilst only losing weight through fat loss should be celebrated.

This is where the best metabolism boosters really start to work.

You do need to find the right products, however. Many don’t work very well. A rare few work fantastically. We have gathered some of the top metabolism boosters from the latter category below.

phenq bottle
PhenQ – Our Top Metabolism Booster

PhenQ is an all-natural supplement designed to increase your metabolism and thermogenesis which makes it an ideal aid for fat loss.

Our Best Metabolism Booster

The following metabolic boosters have all been tried and tested by members of the team here at PathMed. We have also looked in to their ingredients and examined the clinical studies that support them and we are happy to endorse the following products in order of our most preferred.

PhenQ – An All Natural Metabolism Booster 

PhenQ bottles

PhenQ is a long time favorite with those looking to optimize their metabolic rates whilst cutting calories. It is a bit of a global phenomenon with happy customers in every corner of the globe.

Why this stellar reputation? Simple: it’s one of the best products going.

Firstly, it’s made by one of the world’s best supplement companies, Wolfson Berg.

They have been running things for well over a decade now, which is a lot in the supplement industry, where companies seem to come and go every day. Theirs are some of the best-quality supplements going.

PhenQ is no different to any of their other supplements in this regard.

It focuses on thermogenic fat burning, as do many weight loss supplements. This is a term you might see coming up all over the place as you look into metabolic boosters. Thermogenesis refers to the way in which the body burns through fat to use as energy. It is a completely natural process, and in this context, is a good measure of metabolic function.

Your metabolism – or rate of thermogenesis – is influenced by a great many things. There are plenty of natural ingredients derived from common (and not so common) foods that can raise it to optimal levels. Thermogenic fat burners – metabolism boosters, essentially – like PhenQ use mixes of high quality ingredients to bring about this effect. They cause you to burn more calories than you otherwise would.

PhenQ uses a few powerful, natural ingredients in its formula. These include A-Lacy’s Reset, a trademarked formulation made to boost your metabolism, chromium picolinate, a trace element vital for properly storing and using fats, proteins and carbohydrates, l-carnitine tartrate, calcium carbonate, nopal, and capsicum extract, all standard ingredients for promoting fullness and healthy metabolic function, and caffeine anhydrous, for added energy.

Taken together, they lessen your appetite, curb cravings, boost your metabolic function, and give you more energy. There are very few side effects and there are legions of fans who swear by PhenQ.

Pros
  • Ingredients are natural and safe
  • PhenQ boosts the metabolism and increases feelings of fullness
  • There aren’t many reported side effects – those reported are mild
  • PhenQ is well researched and scientifically backed
  • Can halt new fat cell creation
  • It gives you more energy, both short- and long- term
Cons
  • High caffeine content may not be suitable for all users

Leanbean Low Caffeine Metabolism Booster

leanbean metabolic booster

Plenty of supplements out there are becoming vegetarian and vegan friendly. However, whilst they catch up, there are some front runners who do everything they can to cater to those on plant based diets.

This brings us to Leanbean, a metabolism booster designed for people looking for natural, plant-based diet plans.

Leanbean doesn’t rest on gimmicks, though. It isn’t a poor man’s second at all. In fact, it’s one of the best metabolism boosters out there. The formula rests on a solid bedrock of scientific data. It includes plenty of the ingredients you might expect to see in this kind of supplement.

Though it is a good metabolic rate boosting supplement, a lot of Leanbean’s heavy lifting comes from glucomannan. This is a natural fiber that you will see in plenty of weight loss products – it promotes a feeling of fullness and reduces cravings incredibly well. It is also good for digestive health, which can sometimes take a bit of a downturn during calorie deficits.

Leanbean is also lower on stimulants than many of the products on this list. It has a low caffeine content and nothing else to make you buzz. This makes it perfect for those looking to keep stimulants low, or for those who enjoy their coffee and don’t want to cut back to make room for their metabolism boosters.

As well as glucomannan, Leanbean also contains choline and chromium. These help to ramp up your metabolism (mostly the choline) whilst regulating blood sugar levels (chromium) to decrease hunger pangs and even out longer lasting energy levels.

You need to take three Leanbean capsules every day, throughout the day, so there is a bit of fuss involved but nothing too dramatic.

Pros
  • Glucomannan is one of the best appetite suppressants going
  • There is little caffeine or other stimulant volume in the formula
  • All natural, all vegan ingredients
  • Blood sugar should stabilize
Cons
  • Three servings per day are needed
  • The lack of stimulants could be a negative for many

If you are unsure which of our top two picks are for you then check out our PhenQ vs Leanbean comparison here.

Phen24 – The 24 Hour Metabolism Booster 

phen24 bottles

Phen24 is one of my favorite metabolism boosters. It’s no more potent than any other, with similar ingredients in similar doses to many of its competitors. However, it is fiendishly clever in one very simple, very powerful way.

It is a two-part supplement. One part is designed for use during the day, with the other for night time use. Each serving gives you something different, one perfect for waking hours, one for sleep. On this timetable, it will keep you in the perfect fat burning state – and perfect recovery from hard training – 24 hours a day.

The daytime dose includes things that will ramp up your metabolism and give you energy to spare. It uses several common ingredients to achieve this, including stimulants and thermogenesis inducing compounds like guarana, caffeine, and cayenne pepper. Zinc, copper, and iodine round these out, giving you plenty of energy.

Then, at night, when these ingredients might lead to disturbed sleep and even insomnia, Phen24 takes it down a gear. It uses glucomannan, which we have seen is a fiber perfect for giving a feeling of lasting fullness, decreasing hunger pangs and cravings, and promoting healthy digestion. In addition, it uses ingredients like ascorbic acid, plyridoxine HDL, chromium and thiamine to normalize and optimize night time metabolic function.

Pros
  • Ingredients include can improve muscular formation and maintenance
  • Blood sugar should be normalized
  • Metabolic function will be optimized appropriately for the time of day or night
  • Great for satiation and getting rid of hunger pangs
Cons
  • Caffeine and guarana in the daytime capsules may be unsuitable for some
  • Multiple pills at different times might make use tricky for some

Trimtone – Metabolic Supplement Aimed At Women

trimtone bottle

Trimtone aim their product squarely at women, which I think is silly. There is nothing in their formula that should be in any way gender specific. Trust me – men can use Trimtone with exactly the same benefits as women. As long as somebody is in a calorie deficit and taking part in an active lifestyle, they will make great strides on this kind of metabolism booster, irrespective of anything else.

And it is a good metabolism booster, it really is. It’s very convenient, with only one dose needed each day.

This will give you everything you need to maintain high energy levels, optimum metabolic function and fat burning potential, and a full satiation with few hunger pangs even as you keep to a calorie deficit.

Trimtone uses glucomannan, which we have seen is always welcome. This will lead to all-day fullness, a reduction in food cravings, and improved digestive health. It also gives you 120mg of caffeine, 100mg of green tea, and 100mg of green coffee. This should provide you with all the energy you will need to get through the day, whilst raising your metabolic function to optimal levels.

Pros
  • Trimtone is great for lasting fullness and getting rid of cravings
  • Plenty of caffeine and antioxidants
  • Only one serving needed daily
Cons
  • The capsules are not suitable for vegans or vegetarians
  • The high caffeine content may not be suitable for everyone

PrimeShredGreat For Building Lean Muscle

prime shred fat burner

Let’s look at a potent formula with branding to match – Primeshred is aimed at gym buffs and physique competitors, designed to complement lean physiques, maintaining muscle mass whilst helping you to cut down on fat.

All the ingredients are nevertheless natural. You would expect this of a good quality metabolic booster, so far so good. You might not always expect it of something billed for aesthetic athletes, so even better.

It shows that natural supplements can still work wonders.

It is high-potency, high dosage, and delivers the usual suspects that make this kind of product so workable. Its formula includes things like green tea and coffee, caffeine, DMAE, l-theanine and l-tyrosine, cayenne pepper, B vitamins, and bioperene. Put these all together and you have a product designed to keep energy levels and fat burning potential just about as high as they can go.

Pros
  • The ingredients profile is diverse, effective, and very well dosed
  • Everything is natural and suitable for plant-based diets
  • Goes hand in hand with active lifestyles and higher energy workouts
  • Would work very well as a pre-workout, taken half an hour before training
Cons
  • The capsules are not suitable for vegans or One of the more expensive products out there
  • Can upset your stomach and digestion in the early days
  • Caffeine in these quantities isn’t suitable for everyone

Powher Cut

powher cut for women

We’re at another supplement aimed at women that is nevertheless absolutely perfect for men, too. Anybody looking to maintain a caloric deficit, keep up an active lifestyle, whilst trying to maximise their metabolic function with a good boost will benefit from using Powher Cut. Don’t let their branding fool you.

Powher Cut is quite highly caffeinated, even for this list. I’m largely in favour of this – I like caffeine myself, and value its health benefits for most people more generally. However, do handle with care and if you have any concerns then consult a medical professional.

The main movers in Powher Cut’s ingredients list features a blend of natural stimulants, fibers and minerals. These should give you energy levels that last, complementing the high caffeine content’s immediacy. This should all combine to give you plenty of energy for harder paced workouts. The fiber – in the trusted form of high quality glucomannan – will keep you feeling fuller for longer, will help to parcel out this lasting energy, and will aid digestive health.

You should be able to maintain a pretty decent calorie deficit without feeling too hungry, without suffering overly from cravings, and without seeing a drop in energy or performance. It’s perfect for athletes looking to really test themselves.

The caffeine and minerals (choline and chromium picolinate) included will also lead to a greatly boosted metabolism, which is, after all, the name of the game here.

Pros
  • High caffeine content will give you plenty of energy
  • Glucomannan will lead to lasting fullness, suppressing your appetite naturally
  • Mineral content is perfect for energy and metabolic health
  • All ingredients are fully natural
Cons
  • The high caffeine content may not be for everyone

Phengold 

phengold 3 bottles

Finally, we have an offering from Swiss Research Labs Ltd. PhenGold is one of the best supplements on the market from one of the best, most reputable companies going.

PhenGold uses a full range of all-natural ingredients and compounds to give you greatly improved metabolic function, without messing about with any of the other things some other products on this list offer.

Swiss Research Labs Ltd designed it specifically to boost your metabolism, promoting thermogenesis and increased fat burn and energy use.

You will be able to really make the most of your calorie deficit and active lifestyle using it, maintaining higher energy levels as fat is used up to keep you going.

PhenGold uses lots of caffeine (225 milligrams, which really is on the high side) alongside cayenne pepper and green tea extract to improve energy levels and keep your metabolism as high as possible.

However, there is an often overlooked cognitive factor to weight loss. Calorie deficits can leave you foggy brained. A lack of cognitive power can also lead to breaks in your diet as cravings get the better of you. With this in mind, PhenGold includes 150 mg of the nootropic dimethylaminoethanol. As a nootropic, dimethylaminoethanol improves your brain function and lends you a great deal of mental clarity.

This sets PhenGold apart from the crowd. It really is a nice touch, and one that many people will find very useful.

All ingredients are fully plant-based, so vegetarian and vegan-friendly, and everything is naturally sourced.

Pros
  • Energy levels and mental clarity will be greatly improved
  • Energy should also be long lasting
  • It’s a very potent metabolism booster
  • Though it’s pricey, there are plenty of multi-buy discounts on offer on their site
Cons
  • Not a great appetite suppressant, which many may struggle with
  • The high caffeine content may not be suitable for every user

Still not sure which of our top metabolism boosters to opt for? Then read on as we give you more details about them and answer some of your frequently asked questions.

Do Metabolism Boosters Work?

Yes, metabolism boosters can work very well. However, you need to adjust your expectations slightly going into it. They don’t work in the way that popular imagination might assume – you don’t take them, then find your body fat melting away. Metabolism boosters are one element in a wider weight loss regime.

This regime needs to include a calorie deficit. As I’ve mentioned a few times, a daily deficit of 500 calories will lead to around a 1lb weight loss per week. A deficit of 1000 calories daily will lead to a 2lb weight loss, and so on.

Weight loss will come from this deficit. It cannot occur without this deficit.

However, calorie deficits typically slow our metabolisms down as our bodies fight to preserve energy. This is where a couple of lifestyle factors come into play.

Firstly, if you take part in hard resistance training several times per week, like lifting weights, swimming, or practicing yoga, you will both retain more muscle mass during your weight loss whilst keeping your metabolic rate nice and high. Similarly, if you get plenty of sleep, you will recover more ably and keep your metabolism up.

Then there are metabolism boosting supplements like those in our list above. These will help you to maintain a healthy metabolic rate even during quite deep calorie deficits. They will also help you to keep energized and alert, with improved mental clarity, and will make it far easier to maintain your cut as they deal with hunger pangs and cravings.

They make your life easier, your deficit more worthwhile, your cut more effective. This is where metabolism boosters work at their best.

How To Choose Good Metabolism Boosters 

Honestly, any of the products in our list above will serve you well. They are all underpinned by peer reviewed research, are all potent in their own ways, and are all very well tried and tested. If you want something to optimize your metabolism during a calorie deficit, and to make that deficit more manageable, you will do well with any of them.

The ingredients are key in deciding what makes a good metabolism booster. We have seen the same ingredients and compounds coming up time and time again in our list above. Things like vitamin B6, capsaicin, cayenne pepper, glucomannan, caffeine, and l-carnitine feature heavily.

Any metabolism booster containing these kinds of ingredients will be worth looking into – it will likely be a good product.

Active ingredients aren’t everything, though. Try to aim for products that don’t have any filler or unnatural additions. Everything in our list above is natural and transparent. Most are vegan friendly.

If you can’t find a product’s ingredients list, move on. Don’t buy it.

Dosage will be important, too. Many larger compounds should be measured in milligrams. Minerals and vitamins should be trace elements – they will be measured in micrograms. Compare a product’s dosages with your RDI (recommended daily intake). If it forms a substantial part, or even the full amount, great. If not, you can probably do better.

Reviews and testimonials are also a good place to look. All the products above are well reviewed by actual, real life users. We have tried them, scrutinized them, and come out with unbiased reviews. If something is well rated by lots of people, there is a good chance it will work.

What To Avoid When Buying Metabolism Boosters

There are a few ingredients and misconceptions to avoid when buying metabolism boosters.

In regards to misconceptions, don’t go into it thinking that you have found a miracle cure. You lose weight by maintaining a calorie deficit. A daily deficit of 500 calories will lead to around a pound’s weight loss per week. You will need to exercise more and eat less to achieve a deficit.

Metabolism boosting is more about keeping you in an optimum fat burning state so that you can make the most of this kind of deficit. This is what the above products will help you to do.

You also want to leave any supplement alone that doesn’t list all of its ingredients – or, at least, its active ones. Always take care of what you put into your body. At best, some formulas could be useless. At worst, they might be dangerous.

And speaking of dangerous, there are three ingredients that you want to avoid at all costs. They might work insofar as they lead to drastic weight loss, but the side effects are outright dangerous. These three ingredients are:

  • Dinitrophenol (DNP) is a heavy hitting metabolism booster that can be fatal. It is also highly illegal, so if you come across a product claiming to contain it, report it to the relevant authorities. Do not be tempted to buy.
  • Ephedra increases your blood pressure and heart rate as well as helping you to lose weight. Increases to both will put you at risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
  • M-synephrine also increases blood pressure and heart rate, though less noticeably than ephedra. It can be safe enough by itself but can be very dangerous when combined with stimulants such as caffeine. It can also cross the blood-brain barrier, so you really don’t want to be putting it in your body. It’s also often sold as p-synephrine or o-synephrine, so be careful of these, too.

Metabolism Booster FAQs

What boosts metabolism the most?

There are a few ways in which you can keep your metabolism optimized. Firstly, supplements like those above will boost it. Then there are some lifestyle factors that you can make the most of – lift weights or engage in other forms of resistance training, live a more generally active lifestyle with plenty of cardio, get good quality sleep every night, and don’t go into too drastic a calorie deficit (500 per day should suffice for most people).

What supplement speeds up your metabolism?

There are a few common ingredients and supplements that can help to boost your metabolic rate. We’ve seen most of them in the list above. However, more generally, b-complex vitamins, caffeine, niacin, iron, l-carnitine, and capsicum are all go-to metabolic boosters.

Do metabolism boosters really work?

Yes, metabolism boosters work, but dependent on what you’re asking of them. In themselves, they will not make much difference to your weight loss. However, they will keep your metabolism optimized during a calorie deficit, will keep your energy levels up during this kind of cut, and will keep hunger pangs at bay. In this way, they make losing weight a lot easier.

Can you change your metabolism speed?

You can increase your metabolic rate by a small amount. In turn, this may help you burn more calories. However, with metabolism boosters, we’re more thinking in terms of keeping your metabolism optimal during a calorie deficit than supercharging it for rampant calorie burn.

How can I lose my stomach fat?

You cannot spot target fat – in other words, if you want to lose weight from a specific part of your body, you need to lose weight from your entire body. If you have unwanted stomach fat, you will need to lose weight more generally. You may be carrying extra weight around your midriff as a matter of genetic disposition – this is just where you carry your fat. Lose weight generally and your stomach fat should disappear.

What boosts your metabolism best?

Aside from specific metabolism boosters, you will optimize your metabolic function through lifestyle factors such as exercise and diet. Protein and fat rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, and nuts will help. So too will living an active lifestyle with plenty of resistance training.

Can you lose weight by boosting your metabolism?

You lose weight by maintaining a calorie deficit. A daily deficit of 500 calories will lead to around a pound’s weight loss per week. It will be hard, or, rather, near enough impossible, to ‘boost’ your metabolism enough to hit this 500 calorie mark. You will need to exercise more and eat less to achieve a deficit.

Metabolism boosting is more about keeping you in an optimum fat burning state so that you can make the most of this kind of deficit.

Overall Top Pick

There are two winners in this list – two products that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Which one you pick will rest entirely on your own needs. Supplementation is highly individualistic, after all – what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

Firstly, if you struggle for mental clarity and energy during a calorie deficit (which many of us do), PhenGold is just about the best product you could ask for. The inclusion of the nootropic dimethylaminoethanol really is a bit of a masters stroke. It should clear up that brain fog that plenty of people experience, keeping you mentally strong and agile no matter how much you cut from your diet. Combine this with the stimulants included and you’ll be an absolute powerhouse, working at 110% even as your metabolism is boosted to its natural maximum potential.

However, if you struggle with hunger pangs and cravings, PhenGold won’t be any good to you. If this is you (again, most of us struggle with cravings and pangs during a calorie deficit), then you need something to fix it. I would recommend PhenQ. It has one of the smartest, most comprehensive ingredients lists of any supplement anywhere.

The stimulants and minerals included will keep you alert and energetic. The chromium picolinate and A-Lacey’s Reset will keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders without giving you any energy crashes or hunger symptoms. The A-Lacey’s Reset will also help with muscular recovery, making PhenQ a fantastic tool for budding athletes looking to get over their training sessions a bit quicker.

It’s wonderful. Both are wonderful. Go with the one that makes sense to you.

phenq bottle
PhenQ – Our Top Metabolism Booster

PhenQ is an all-natural supplement designed to increase your metabolism and thermogenesis which makes it an ideal aid for fat loss.

Written by John Dixon

John is a personal trainer and part time (although he might say full time) writer here at PathMed. He uses his knowledge of fitness and physiotherapy to deliver real insight in to our reviews and health guides.

John’s military background also brings a real-life perspective to his work.