Green Tea for Weight Loss and Fat Burning?
 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 the compilations of many of the more popular weight loss supplements
today (interestingly, it may not be quite as good as oolong tea, reviewed here!)
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
of 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
plain caffeine could do. First, 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
-- I kid you not!), 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
exciting 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.
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 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 caffiene 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.
Does Green Tea Work for Weight Loss?
In the past, I've supplemented with the Canadian formulation
of MuscleTech's Hydroxycut (the older US version did not contain any
green tea, although the new reformulated version does), which contains over 900mg of green tea extract per serving.
In general, I found that blood sugar levels seem to be stable, cravings
were minimal as were the jitters and shakes normally associated with
ephedrine based products.
I'd say it was definitely helpful, but not earth-shatteringly effective. It was no "magic pill" I guess you could say. Proper diet and an effective exercise program will be key to wringing the most out of green tea fat burner.
Lately however, I've been making a point of drinking large amounts of both green and oolong teas on a daily basis. Although my own experience is definitely anecdotal, I truly feel it is making a difference. Although I am currently dieting and have increased my weekly cardio training, the weight seems to be coming off a lot faster than usual.
If you'd like to try green tea, you have a couple of choices...
1) Buy a popular fat burner which contains a good dose of green tea in its formulation. A couple of good products are EAS' Thermo Dynamx (reviewed here) and Genuine Health Abs+ (reviewed here!)
2) Buy capsules of green tea: Most popular brands now provide green tea in this format now. It's pretty cheap, and best of all, it's easy and convenient!
3) Drink green tea instead of regular tea or coffee. My current favorite way to capitalize on the health and fat burning benefits of green tea.
You really don't need to take a pill to get this stuff into your system. According to Julian Tai, a friend of mine from Amazing-Green-Tea.com, this is the optimum method of getting your daily dose of green tea. He claims that capsules and tablets run the risk of being contaminated with all sorts of nasty ingredients.
|
Julian sells the world's best green tea on his web site. He tells me its the same stuff the politicians and celebrities drink -- the really good stuff.
I have tried all three grades of Julian's tea, and they truly are amazing. It's the only tea I buy now.
It's a quite a difference to the store-bought stuff you may have tried. The teas come right from the most pristine tea fields in China. Shipping is surprisingly fast, and the product is of high quality (it comes loose, in packages -- you just need to buy a "tea diffuser" to use it. You can get these anywhere -- even your local Wal-mart!).
Julian has been generous enough to extend a discount to visitors of UltimateFatBurner.com, and I highly recommend you take him up on it! (I receive no remuneration for this recommendation!)
Click here to order the "real deal" green tea... with a 10-12% discount! (Be sure to have a look around the web site too... there's a ton of great information on his site!).
Oh yes... before I forget -- some of these loose teas may seem expensive. However, you only need a tiny amount to brew a cup, and most of the better quality teas can be infused numerous times.
Although Julian's tea would be my first recommendation, you can also check out Generation tea!
|
In
closing... it certainly appears that green tea is a
darned good health-promoting supplement, and it shows some real promise for promoting weight
loss as well. It's one of the few natural supplements that has some decent clinical proof validating its claims. It's well worth trying, especially if you've got a good diet and exercise program under way.
.
.
.
Have you used green tea?
Tell us all about it!
.
Looking for a fat burner recommendation?
Read my review of Lean System Seven!
Have you been the victim of a product that makes exaggerated claims? Launch a complaint!
US visitors should submit a complaint to the US Federal Trade Commission!
Canadians, submit a complaint at the Canadian Competition Bureau!
Back to UltimateFatBurner.com: Reviews of Fat Burners, Diet Supplements and Weight Loss Programs!
|
SEARCH SITE
