Review: Mega T Ultra Green Tea For Weight Loss

Posted By Paul on Sep 19, 2012 | 0 comments

Mega T is, not surprisingly considering the name, primarily a green tea supplement. Yes, it does contain hoodia and several other ingredients—all of which we will get to in a moment.

At the core of Mega T however, is the combination of two ingredients; caffeine and EGCG (EGCG or epigallocatechin gallate is a catechin which can be standardized from green, oolong and other teas). These two ingredients have been proven effective for increasing resting energy expenditure (metabolism) in several studies.

This study for example, showed that a combination of 50 mg caffeine and 90 mg EGCG given three times per day, raised resting energy expenditure by 4%.

And this study, which used a significantly higher dosage of caffeine (200 mg) and varying amounts of EGCG (90, 200, 200 or 400 mg) confirmed this result, concluding…

“The main finding of the study was the increase in 24 h energy expenditure with the EGCG-caffeine mixtures.”

Great news, right?

Well, sort of.

You see, even though we can authoritatively conclude that the appropriate amounts of green tea standardized for EGCG and caffeine do elevate the metabolism, discussing exactly how much so is not something that is going to be entertained by the supplement retailers anytime soon. It`s simple, really…

A 4% increase in resting energy expenditure equates to approximately 100 calories for most individuals. The second study—the one that used higher amounts of caffeine and EGCG saw slightly better results; approximately 178 calories were burned off.

To put things into perspective, to lose a single pound of fat requires a caloric deficit of 3500 calories. If a product like Mega T helps you burn an extra 100 calories per day, it will take 35 days of supplementation to burn off the caloric equivalent of 1 pound of fat.

In other words, the caffeine and EGCG combination works, but if you’ve got 20 pounds to lose, it`s not going to make much of difference. The key is going to be your diet and exercise program.

What about the remaining ingredients in this product—how much difference will they make to its effectiveness? To answer that, let`s discuss them…

In addition to the various forms of tea, Mega T also contains…

• Hoodia gordonii: A south African succulent (cactus) with supposed appetite suppressing powers. However, despite the multitude of claims made for hoodia, no published clinical evidence validates its effects. There are other issues regarding potency and supply, detailed in the complete hoodia review. Still some anecdotal reports suggest it may be helpful.
• Eleuthero root standardized extract: Also known as Siberian ginseng, it is unrelated to American or Asian ginsengs, although it is an adaptogen and like regular “ginsengs” may help the body fight stress and fatigue.
• Fo ti root: A Chinese herb used traditionally to treat erectile dysfunction and premature aging, as well as strengthen the liver, kidneys, and blood. While there is little published data on fo ti, it does exhibit potent antioxidant qualities.
• Garcinia fruit standardized extract: Usually standardized for hydroxycitric acid, once thought to have potent carbohydrate blocking effects. Not so much. Clinical evidence has not been kind to hydroxycitric acid. An early study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA. 1998 Nov 11;280(18):1596-600) indicated that hydroxycitric acid has no positive weight loss effects, concluding…
  

  “Garcinia cambogia failed to produce significant weight loss and fat mass loss beyond that observed with placebo.”

  A new, more potent form of hydroxycitric acid has been shown to be helpful in a clinical study, but there`s no indication that Mega T contains this version, nor is it possible for it to be present at anywhere near the dosage shown effective in the study.

• Guarana seed standardized extract: A wild growing climbing shrub harvested in Brazil and Uraguay, guarana is commonly included in weight loss supplements as a source of caffeine.
• Bladderwrack kelp: Bladderwrack is a source of iodine. Because iodine is a thyroid hormone substrate (it can be used to create thyroid hormones) it is thought that supplementation will boost these hormones, speed up the metabolism, and burn fat. There is no evidence this is the case. Additionally, bladderwrack can concentrate heavy metals, and iodine supplementation can exacerbate existing thyroid conditions.
• Gotu kola (whole plant): Used in Ayurvedic healing for centuries, this creeping perennial with fan-shaped leaves grows around the world in hot climates. It is often used to enhance mental function, and one study suggests it has anti-anxiety effects.

Also included is a sprinkling of calcium and chromium—an ingredient that plays an important role in insulin function. Nonetheless, clinical evidence showing chromium useful for weight loss is contradictory.

So there you have it—the Mega T Green Tea with Hoodia fat burner revealed.

How’s it measure up?

First off, let’s comment on the additional ingredients we just discussed. They are unlikely to add much extra value to this formula.

Remember, this is a proprietary blend, and it’s not revealed just how much of each of the supporting ingredients is included.

And that’s important.

When a single serving contains 710 mg of ingredient, and with 90 mg of EGCG and 150 mg of caffeine disclosed, that can’t leave much more that 300 mg left to be divided among the remaining 7 ingredients (the various teas from which EGCG is extracted are usually standardized at the 40-50% range. So you’d need a minimum of 200 mg of tea to obtain 90 mg of EGCG—just so you understand my math).

Essentially, that means they will be present at doses much too low to elicit any effect. Just like prescription drugs, herbal compounds need to be present at an effective dosage if you are to see any effect from them.

And they are not in this formula.

So what you are left with is the proven combination of EGCG and caffeine. That’s fine, of course—this really is a “no-brainer” combination that should be in any fat burner. But as you have seen, the term “works” as it pertains to this combination, doesn’t mean “eat all you want and still lose weight.”

The effects are subtle at best.

Without significant changes to your diet and lifestyle, a diet pill that will help you burn off an extra 100 – 150 calories per day is not going to make a heck of a lot of difference.

The choice to try this product is, therefore, up to you. It’s not outrageously priced and therefore might be worth an experiment (although you can save yourself a few dollars by buying caffeine tabs and stacking them with a quality green tea supplement).

Regardless, if you do decide to try the product, you need to have an accurate assessment of what you can really expect. I hope we’ve helped with that.