Most metabolism boosters do far less than the label suggests: the best-studied ingredients, caffeine, green tea catechins and capsaicin from chilli, raise the energy you use by only a small amount. The bigger, proven levers cost little or nothing: eating enough protein, moving more through the day and building muscle. Here is what the research actually shows, so you can spend your money in Australia on what works.
Metabolism boosters compared
| Booster | What it does | How big is the effect? | Our verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caffeine | Raises the energy you use at rest for a few hours | 100 mg raised resting metabolic rate by 3 to 4% for 2.5 hours | Works a little. Count your daily total |
| Green tea catechins | Said to raise energy use, usually sold with caffeine | Trials outside Japan found almost no difference in weight after 12 weeks | Mostly hype as a supplement |
| Capsaicin (chilli) | Small rise in energy use, may take the edge off appetite | Real but small, by the review authors' own words | Enjoy it in food, not a shortcut |
| Protein | Takes more energy to digest than carbs or fat, and keeps you full | Higher protein diets raise diet-induced energy use | Worth it |
| Daily movement (NEAT) | Energy used walking, standing and moving outside the gym | Explained large differences in fat gain between people | The biggest free lever |
| Muscle | Uses more energy at rest than fat | About 13 vs 4.5 calories per kg a day | Real, but slow and modest |
Your metabolism is simply the energy your body uses each day. Most of it goes on keeping you alive at rest, a smaller share on digesting food, and the rest on movement. A supplement can nudge one of these a little. It cannot replace eating a bit less and moving a bit more.
Caffeine: the one ingredient with real data
Caffeine has the best evidence of any metabolism booster. In a classic study, a single 100 mg dose raised resting metabolic rate by 3 to 4% for about two and a half hours in both lean adults and adults who had previously lost weight. When the same people took 100 mg every two hours across a 12 hour day, they used about 150 extra calories (about 630 kJ) in the lean group and 79 extra calories in the other group (Dulloo and colleagues, 1989).
There is a catch. That bigger result took six doses, or 600 mg of caffeine in a day, which is more than most people should have. Our guide to how much caffeine is safe covers the limits. If you want a measured dose instead of guessing, ALLMAX Caffeine 200 mg gives 200 mg per tablet and costs about $0.35 a tablet at the time of writing. Count your coffee and pre-workout too, because the caffeine adds up.
Green tea, chilli and other thermogenic extras
Green tea contains catechins and caffeine, and both are said to raise energy use. A Cochrane review pooled six trials run outside Japan, with 532 people, and found an average difference in weight loss of just 0.04 kg after about 12 weeks. Trials in Japan showed more benefit, from 0.2 to 3.5 kg, but they were too different from each other to combine (Jurgens and colleagues, 2012). Drink green tea because you like it, not as a weight loss plan.
Capsaicin, the compound that makes chilli hot, does raise energy use and may reduce appetite a little. A review and meta-analysis found these effects are real, but the authors described their size as small (Ludy and colleagues, 2012). Add chilli to your cooking if you enjoy it. Do not expect it to change the scale on its own.
Many stimulant fat burners blend green tea, chilli extracts and other plant extracts with a large dose of caffeine. Much of what you feel from those products is likely to be the caffeine. Our fat burners guide explains how to read those labels.
Protein: the metabolism booster on your plate
Your body uses energy to digest food, and protein costs more to process than carbs or fat. A review of diet-induced thermogenesis found that on a mixed diet this accounts for about 5 to 15% of daily energy use, with higher values on higher protein diets. The same review notes that protein has an important effect on fullness (Westerterp, 2004). Feeling full makes a calorie deficit much easier to stick to.
Build each meal around a protein food, and use a shake when you are short. Dymatize ISO100, one of our best-selling whey protein isolates in the last six months, lists 25 g of protein, 2 g of carbs and 1 g of fat per 32 g scoop (Gourmet Chocolate). The 5 lb tub is $299.95 for 71 serves, about $4.22 a serve. Compare it with other lean options in our best whey protein isolate guide or browse all whey protein isolates.
Move more and build muscle: the slow, real boosters
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy you use walking, standing, fidgeting and doing chores. In a well-known study, 16 adults ate 1,000 extra calories a day for eight weeks. Two thirds of the rise in their daily energy use came from NEAT, and differences in NEAT explained a 10-fold difference in how much fat people gained (Levine and colleagues, 1999). For most people, a daily step target is the easiest metabolism booster there is.
Muscle helps too, but less than many people think. Research on organ and tissue energy use puts skeletal muscle at about 13 calories per kg a day at rest, against about 4.5 for body fat (Wang and colleagues, 2010). So adding 2 kg of muscle raises resting energy use by roughly 26 calories a day. The bigger benefit of lifting is that you keep muscle while dieting and use energy in the sessions themselves.
Creatine does not speed up your metabolism, but it is a popular way to support strength training. Legit Supps Creatine Monohydrate 500 g is our best-selling creatine, with 100 serves of 5 g at about $0.50 a serve. Read the evidence in our best creatine guide.
Our verdict: what is worth your money
Worth it: a protein powder such as Dymatize ISO100 if you struggle to eat enough protein, creatine if you lift, and caffeine in sensible amounts if you already enjoy it. Free and better than any pill: more daily steps, regular strength training and enough sleep. Mostly hype: green tea extract pills and anything that promises to melt fat or fix a slow metabolism.
If you want to compare what is out there, our metabolism range collects these products in one place. Read every label, count the total caffeine, and remember that no product works without the basics.
How our price compares
Here is what the same products cost at other Australian supplement stores, so you can check the difference yourself.
| Product | Supps247 | Nutrition Warehouse | ASN | Elite Supps | Supplement Mart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dymatize ISO100 5 lb | $299.95 | $299.95 | $299.95 | $309.90 | $299.95 |
| Legit Supps Creatine Monohydrate 500 g | $49.95 | $59.95 | $49.95 | Not listed | $64.95 |
Supps247 prices come from our website. Other prices were checked on the websites of Nutrition Warehouse, Australian Sports Nutrition (ASN), Elite Supps and Supplement Mart on 29 October 2026 (same product and size, price for one unit) and can change at any time. Not listed means we could not find that exact product on their site. Supps247 members can use our Price Match Guarantee against Nutrition Warehouse, ASN, Elite Supps and Supplement Mart: we beat their full price by 5% or match their sale price (conditions apply).
Shop the products in this guide
Dymatize ISO100 5 lb$299.95
Legit Supps Creatine Monohydrate 500 g$49.95
ALLMAX Caffeine 200 mg, 100 tablets$34.95
Browse all metabolism products and whey protein isolates.
FAQs
Do metabolism boosters actually work?
A few ingredients have a small, measurable effect. Caffeine raised resting metabolic rate by 3 to 4% for a few hours in one well-known study, and capsaicin from chilli has a small effect on energy use. Green tea extracts showed almost no weight difference in trials outside Japan. None of them replace a calorie deficit, enough protein and daily movement.
What is the best natural metabolism booster?
Daily movement. Walking, standing and general activity outside the gym, known as NEAT, varies a lot between people and explained large differences in fat gain in an overfeeding study. After that, eat enough protein, because it takes more energy to digest and keeps you full, and lift weights to keep or build muscle.
Does green tea speed up your metabolism?
Only a little, and mostly because of its caffeine. A Cochrane review found that green tea preparations made almost no difference to weight in trials run outside Japan, with an average difference of 0.04 kg after about 12 weeks. Green tea is a fine drink, but it is not a reliable weight loss tool.
Does building muscle increase your metabolism?
Yes, but slowly and by less than most people think. Muscle uses about 13 calories per kg a day at rest, compared with about 4.5 for body fat, so 2 kg of new muscle adds roughly 26 calories a day. The bigger benefits of strength training are keeping muscle while you diet and the energy used in each session.
Can I take a caffeine tablet with a pre-workout or fat burner?
Check the labels first, because caffeine adds up quickly. Many pre-workouts and stimulant fat burners already contain 200 mg or more per serve, and a caffeine tablet adds another 200 mg. Add up coffee, energy drinks and supplements before you combine anything, and see our caffeine safety guide for the daily limits. If you are pregnant or take medication, talk to your doctor first.
Sources: Dulloo et al. (1989), caffeine and daily energy expenditure, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Jurgens et al. (2012), green tea for weight loss, Cochrane review; Ludy et al. (2012), capsaicin and capsiate meta-analyses, Chemical Senses; Westerterp (2004), diet induced thermogenesis, Nutrition and Metabolism; Levine et al. (1999), non-exercise activity thermogenesis, Science; Wang et al. (2010), metabolic rates of organs and tissues, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; product labels and brand nutrition panels, checked October 2026.
Order online with Australia-wide delivery, free on orders of $99.99 or more, with Afterpay available at checkout. You can also use click and collect at a store that offers it, or visit a Supps247 store in Melbourne, regional Victoria or Brisbane to compare products in person. Members can use our member price match on full-priced items.
Prices and stock were checked on 29 October 2026 and can change at any time. Always read the label and follow the directions for use. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or take regular medication, check with your doctor first.
