Is Green tea good for weight loss? 
Yes, believe it or not, more and more often you’ll find green tea (or green tea extract) included in many of the more popular weight loss supplements today. And why are supplement makers so hasty to include green tea in their weight loss products? Well, the benefits of green tea are numerous. In fact, if you were to go to PubMed.com and do a search for green tea, you’d find over 2,000 studies performed on green tea and its components (eg, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), theanine, etc). Possible benefits are being investigated for weight loss, cancer prevention, antioxidant activity, cognitive enhancement, general good health and well being… and the list goes on and on. But why is green tea included in most popular fat burners today?
Many reasons. First of all, green tea extract is a source of caffeine, and often often replaces the caffeine component in the fat burner compilation. Caffeine, of course, is a decent fat burner with a well-established track record (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97). That makes it a decent quality fat burner in and by itself. However… If that’s all green tea did, this would be a pretty short article. Luckily, it provides additional benefits – far and beyond what just plain caffeine could do. First off, it’s a powerful anti-oxidant. Yes..just like vitamin C and beta-carotene! But researchers have suggested that the active ingredient (called epigallocatechin gallate), may be up to 200 times more powerful than vitamin E as an oxidant. But wait… that’s still not the best part! Green tea may be useful as a glucose regulator -(meaning it slows the rise in blood sugar following a meal.) It does this by slowing the action of a particular digestive enzyme called amylase. This enzyme is pivotal in the breakdown of starches (carbs), that can cause blood sugar levels to soar following a meal (see Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Sep;84(3):551-5). This is pretty amazing stuff — along with a chromium, and possibly a vanadyl supplement, green tea might be the missing link in proper glucose management. Green tea has also helped aid weight loss by increasing the metabolic rate, causing those who use it to experience greater calorie burn (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999 Dec;70(6):1040-5) A recent study further validates green tea’s effectiveness. Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr; 81:122-129), it indicated the ingestion of a tea rich in catechins (catechins are a major component of green tea extract) leads to both a lowering of bodyfat AND of cholesterol levels. Additionally, green tea may inhibit fatty acid synthase (see Life Sci. 2004 Mar 26;74(19):2389-99, Int J Cancer. 2003 Oct 10;106(6):856-62 , Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2006 Jan;43(Pt 1):1-7, Curr Med Chem. 2006;13(8):967-77). Fatty acid synthase is an enzymatic system that is involved in the process of turning carbohydrates into fat. Early animal studies suggest the inhibition of fatty acid synthase can lead to dramatic weight loss. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also evidence that consuming green tea high in catechins reduces cardiovascular risks in addition to reducing body fat (Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jun;15(6):1473-83). In short, green tea’s weight loss benefits are a result of several mechanisms. As discussed, these include, but not limited to an increased metabolism, a positive effect on blood sugar and insulin regulation, and possibly the inhibiting of certain enzymes which are required for the processing of carbohydrates and fats. It also has been shown to lower LDL levels (that’s the “bad” cholesterol) as well as triglyceride levels. (See Mol Nutr Food Res. 2006 Feb;50(2):176-87, Am J Clin Nutr; 81:122-129, Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. 2000 Feb;24(2):252-8, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999 Dec;70(6):1040-5 — for additional proof of green tea’s weight loss effectiveness). The combination of caffeine with green tea — found in many popular fat burners — also seems to encourage weight loss (Obes Res. 2005 Jul;13(7):1195-204), and therefore is a smart addition to any fat burner compilation.
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