Paraxanthine: A Healthy, Thermogenic, Fat-Burning Energy Boost

If you’ve been wondering whether it’s time to cut the caffeine and find a better way to boost energy, focus and metabolism, this is your sign. Paraxanthine is the newest clean ingredient on the performance drink market, and it’s completely changed the game. It’s almost too good to be true, except it’s not.

Paraxanthine has got a long list of pros (longer than caffeine’s) with a cons list so short it’s almost not worth mentioning (don’t worry, though – we will). And where caffeine fails, paraxanthine shines. Energy, mood, focus, sleep, cognition, physical and mental performance – all boosted. As a bonus, so is your metabolism.

Let’s talk about the whats, hows and whys. We’ll serve up some detailed receipts in the process:

Paraxanthine vs Caffeine: A Metabolite Breakdown

If the name paraxanthine sounds like something that will make your face fall off, don’t worry- it won’t. Somebody named this nootropic way before anyone knew it would end up taking over the wellness supplement industry…

The year was 1883 and German chemist Herman Emil Fischer was looking at purines and their metabolic processes. Specifically, he was studying metabolism and degradation of caffeine and theobromine when he observed an unknown compound that made up the vast majority of metabolized caffeine (it was paraxanthine). He named paraxanthine because of its similar structure to xanthine, an innate compound found in many biological systems. It would be over a century before someone figured out how to synthesize paraxanthine for use in performance supplements and productivity drinks.

When caffeine is consumed, it is broken down, almost solely in the liver, into three main compounds. Paraxanthine accounts for 80-90% of caffeine’s major metabolites. Researchers have identified it as the metabolite largely responsible for the positive effects of caffeine, though it’s been shown to have these effects without causing a false stress response to do it.

Paraxanthine has so many talents that science is quickly confirming are real, but those are for another article – one that already exists! If you want to get into a deep dive on paraxanthine vs caffeine, check out our article: Understanding Caffeine’s Metabolites & How Paraxanthine Works. For our purposes, let’s talk about one specific talent: paraxanthine’s ability to induce lipolysis (science jargon for “boost your body’s ability to burn fat and calories”).

The Science Behind Paraxanthine’s Thermogenic Claims

There’s no shortage of sports drinks and energy powders claiming to boost your metabolism – burn more calories; feel more energized; perform better! But many of these are just stimulants overloading your adrenals and causing your body to think it is about to have to run for its life at any moment. Paraxanthine doesn’t do that. And a number of studies that indicate paraxanthine is a thermogenic nootropic also indicate it doesn’t induce a stress response:

Energy Mobilization without Overstimulation

A 2010 study compared paraxanthine vs caffeine effects on sleep, muscle activity and body temperature. The question was, which compound and in what combination is energy production affected and how does that affect sleep health? Increased muscle activity and body temperature are signs of lipolysis, which means increased fat and calorie burn.

Subjects were given 3 doses of either paraxanthine or caffeine. The results showed:

• Paraxanthine had a greater wakefulness effect and longer-lasting than caffeine.
• Both compounds increased muscle activity and body temperature, but only caffeine induced hypothermic side effects at high doses.
• Paraxanthine induced less anxious feelings than caffeine.

More Muscle Growth & Nitric Oxide

A 2022 study looked at the potential of paraxanthine to increase muscle mass and endurance compared to other commonly-used compounds. Subjects took doses of an assigned compound for 4 weeks. Performance on several physical tests was evaluated before and after the supplementation period.

After 4 weeks where subjects were made to do 60 minutes of treadmill training 5x per week, the study found paraxanthine outperformed control and other tested compounds, including:

• 17% increase in grip strength
• 39% increase in treadmill performance
• 14% increase in gastrocnemius muscle mass (calf muscle)
• 41% increase in soleus muscle mass (calf muscle)
• 100% increase in nitric oxide levels
• Statistically significant decreases in triglycerides and overall cholesterol levels
• Statistically significant increases in HDL cholesterol (the good kind)

Increased Fat Burn without Increased Anxiety

A 2024 study took a dose-dependent approach to studying paraxanthine’s thermogenic effects. They measured placebo vs 100mg, 200mg and 300mg doses of paraxanthine on lipolysis, energy expenditure and perceptual reactions. They did this by measuring several key indicators, including blood markers, heart rate and subjective questions.

This study’s results included:

• All doses of paraxanthine lowered resting heart rate.
• 100mg of paraxanthine did not increase blood pressure.
• Anxiety ratings did not increase with any paraxanthine
• A statistically significant increase in calorie burn with paraxanthine 200mg and 300mg.
• A statistically significant increase in fat oxidation with 100mg and 200mg of paraxanthine.

Improved Cognition Even with Exhaustion

Another 2024 study looked at whether paraxanthine had positive cognitive benefits. It’s well-known that fatigue impairs cognitive performance, which can hurt your fitness efforts and increase chances of injury during workouts. Using questionnaires and tests before and after a 10km run, researchers sought to find out whether paraxanthine supported “cognitive metabolism”, if you will, after significant physical exertion.

The observed effects of paraxanthine were surprisingly strong:

• Post-run reaction times in all trials were 29.6% faster than treatment with caffeine.
• Overall correct responses increased by 6.8% post-run. Conversely, post-run errors increased by 31.5% with caffeine.
• Post-run errors in memory retention were 26.9% less with paraxanthine than with caffeine.

In addition, there was no evidence to indicate adverse side effects of stimulants, like blood markers of perceptual changes on stress and mood.

Non-Toxic Nootropic Effects in Low Doses

A study in 2021 wanted to explore what doses of paraxanthine reaped the most benefits, as well as what dose is the threshold to experience the benefits of increased metabolism and thermogenesis. They used 50mg, 100mg and 200mg doses vs or in tandem with a proportional dose of placebo.

Subjects took evaluations that measured memory, cognition, reaction time, and executive function after 1 dose and after 7 days of supplementation. Both acute and short-term supplementation with paraxanthine observed the touted benefits at as low as the 50mg dose. However, the veracity of the nootropic effects became more consistent at 100mg and 200mg doses.

That means a safe, stress-free metabolism boost doesn’t require borderline OD-ing on this stalwart nootropic. And it also means that higher doses don’t make life suck the way higher doses of caffeine do.

5 Wellness Benefits of a Boosted Metabolism

There are countless health benefits to a well-oiled machine of metabolic function, which makes sense, because it’s the mechanism by which every single cell in your body functions. But 5 major mentions for our thermogenic purposes are worth discussing:

Energy Production & Muscle Health

A higher metabolism means higher energy levels and reduced fatigue, which supports productivity, focus and physical performance. It also supports synthesis and repair of muscle tissue, which aids in long-term weight management, posture, mobility, and decreased risk of injury.

Mood Management & Mental Clarity

Your metabolism plays a direct role in neurotransmitter production, circulation and activity. These especially include serotonin and dopamine, which are main players in regulating emotions, sustaining attention, consolidating memories, and managing stress reactions.

Nutrient Absorption & Gut Health

Lipolysis enhances nutrient absorption, and a well-functioning metabolism streamlines digestive processes. These effects support overall wellness by providing the body with essential nutrients needed for growth, repair and immunity while reducing digestive discomforts like IBS symptoms.

Immune Function & Radical Scavenging

An efficient metabolism ensures nutrients are well-absorbed and get to where they need to go, which means increased antioxidant activity that scavenges free radicals. In tandem, a healthy metabolism improves the removal of toxins and waste from the body, supporting immune function.

Hormone Balance & Body Composition

A messed up metabolism throws off balance crucial hormones related to thyroid function, blood sugar regulation and stress management. These hormones mess with your mood, memory, stress, weight, appetite, energy levels, sleep … the list is long. A healthy, boosted metabolism truly does support all aspects of health.

Paraxanthine: A Healthy Substitute for Stimulants

In almost every one of the studies we’ve looked at, the comparative safety and lack of paraxanthine side effects were an incidental or even accidental discovery. Where caffeine fails – the jitters, inflammation, stress, poor mood, etc – paraxanthine is nowhere to be found (for most people*). The most interesting part of this is that it’s not just perception: researchers consistently fail to elicit biological signals associated with negative side effects of stimulants.

However, there are contraindications for paraxanthine for some people, which is why, like any new supplement, you should talk with your healthcare provider before adding paraxanthine to your daily routine if:

• You are sensitive to caffeine.
• You have a heart problem and/or are on heart medication(s).
• You have a liver problem and/or are on liver medication(s).
• You have high cholesterol and/or are on cholesterol medication(s).

For most people, paraxanthine is proving to be only the too-good part of too-good-to-be-true. This huge development in healthy energy multipliers and performance drinks has the potential to offer all the thermogenic benefits of stimulants without the health risks or side effects. And we’ve included it in MTE’s latest formulation.

MTE utilizes paraxanthine and several complementary nootropics, along with key adaptogens and superfoods to offer 360° support for foundational wellness – not just energy. Better metabolism, better mood, better sleep – these are just a few of the many benefits consistent use of MTE’s daily energy greens powder has to offer. Worth trying? At least for 30 days. Check it out.