The effects of green tea on weight management

Obesity and being overweight are one of the serious global health issues, which can be linked to several health consequences and lifestyle related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dyslipidemia, etc.  Fat accumulation, a result of being overweight or obese is also related to insulin resistance in the muscle and, liver and an influencial factor in the development of type 2 diabetes. Up to now, modern medicine claims  no effective therapy found to prevent and treat obesity and overweight problems. However with functional medicine and proper lifestyle changes, we know that obesity can easily be prevented and weight issues can be addressed. 

Green tea is one of the most popular drinks consumed worldwide and it has shown beneficial impacts for fat reduction as its anti-obesity effects which is touted to be one of the healthiest beverages on the planet. The aim of this article is to discuss the effect of green tea on weight management.

Scientific evidence shows green tea may works on lipid metabolism

Available evidence shows that green tea can prevent obesity while it can help to interrupt lipid emulsification, reduce adipocyte differentiation, increase thermogenesis, and lower food intake, so it improves the systemic metabolism and decreases fat mass eventually. 

Research suggests that green tea can increase fat burning and boost metabolic rate by interrupting lipid emulsification, reduce lipid accumulation adipocyte differentiation, increase thermogenesis, and reduce food intake, making it a great metabolism booster and fat burner. Besides, another study concluded that green tea may play a role in the control of body composition via the activation of thermogenesis in our sympathetic nervous system, fat oxidation, or both. Green tea also contains caffeine, and while caffeine has been shown to stimulate thermogenesis ,the stimulation of thermogenesis cannot be completely attributed to its caffeine content because the thermogenic effect of green tea is greater than an equivalent amount of caffeine. Thus, one can suggest that green tea extract as a whole, and not just caffeine, can result in an increase in energy expenditure and fat oxidation in the short-term. 

Effective components of green tea

  • Caffeine

  • One of green tea’s compounds is caffeine. Although a cup of green tea holds much less caffeine (24–40 mg) than a cup of coffee (100–200 mg), it still contains enough to have a mild effect. Caffeine is a well-known stimulant that has been found to aid fat burning and improve exercise performance in this study

  • Catechins

  • Catechins are a sub-class of flavonoids, or the natural antioxidants that help prevent cell damage and provide other benefits. Green tea is loaded with these polyphenol antioxidants as healthy bioactive and powerful compounds while it contains a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) that exists as the most pharmacologically active component of green tea. According to the findings of a study, such antioxidant compounds in green tea could help promote exercise-induced abdominal fat loss by consumption of a beverage containing green tea catechins (625mg per day), and may enhance circulating free fatty acid and triglycerides levels. 

    Also, a study has indicated that EGCG boosts the burning of fat which may lead to reduced body fat in the long term. On the other hand, a research has tested its ability to help treat various diseases, and concluded that EGCG appears to be one of the main compounds that gives green tea its medicinal properties. These substances can reduce the formation of free radicals in the body, protecting cells and molecules from damage as they play a role in aging and many types of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease

  • Theanine

  • Theanine in green tea can create a savory taste, also known as umami flavor. Research suggests that umami flavors will help to curb cravings and hunger but focus on achieving the all-important calorie deficit as providing appetite-suppressing effects. A study suggested that theanine contributes to regulating fat digestion and absorption. Meanwhile, don’t forget that stress also compounds the weight gain factors. Luckily, theanine provides an antidote to stress. It boosts levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that regulates one’s mood and the neurochemicals associated with mood. That means we can reach a state of relaxed awareness with theanine which is also called the alpha brain wave state. It is ideal for lowering chronic stress which leads to both overeating and weight retention.

    Green tea extract increases fat burning, especially during exercise

    If you look at the nutrition label of almost every commercial weight loss and fat-burning supplement, you will unsurprisingly see green tea listed as an ingredient. This is because green tea extract has been repeatedly linked to increased fat burning, especially during exercise. In one study, men who took green tea extract before exercise burned 17% more fat than men who didn’t take the supplement. The study suggests that green tea can boost the fat-burning effects of exercise. In addition, an eight-week study determined that tea catechins increased fat burning, both during exercise and rest.

    Green tea - Thés de la Pagode

    Thés de la Pagode is the leading brand of organic teas in France. Nowadays, there are a lot of teas on the market which contain chemical pesticides that may affect our health. But Thés de la Pagode solves this problem by picking organically grown tea and only the buds of the tea tree and the first two leaves that grow out as they contain 73% of the antioxidants of the plant, therefore, we can be sure that they are high-quality and have no pesticide residues in the whole cup of tea. 

    Read more: Tea vs Coffee : Which cup should you be drinking?

    Reference:

    Dinh, T. C., Phuong, T. N. T., Thuc, V. T. M., Bac, N. D., Van Tien, N., Show, P. L., ... & Chu, D. T. (2019). The effects of green tea on lipid metabolism and its potential applications for obesity and related metabolic disorders-An existing update. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 13(2), 1667-1673. 

     

    Kris Gunnars. (2020). 10 evidence based health benefits of green tea.  Healthline https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-green-tea#1.-Contains-healthy-bioactive-compounds 

     

    Acheson KJ, Gremaud G, Meirim I, Montigon F, Krebs Y, Fay LB, Gay LJ, Schneiter P, Schindler C, Tappy L. Metabolic effects of caffeine in humans: lipid oxidation or futile cycling? Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Jan;79(1):40-6. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/79.1.40. PMID: 14684395.

    Diepvens, K., Westerterp, K. R., & Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S. (2007). Obesity and thermogenesis related to the consumption of caffeine, ephedrine, capsaicin, and green tea. American journal of physiology-Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology. 

    Dulloo AG, Duret C, Rohrer D, Girardier L, Mensi N, Fathi M, Chantre P, and Vandermander J. Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin-polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 70: 1040–1045, 1999.

    Kevin C. Maki, Matthew S. Reeves, Mildred Farmer, Koichi Yasunaga, Noboru Matsuo, Yoshihisa Katsuragi, Masanori Komikado, Ichiro Tokimitsu, Donna Wilder, Franz Jones, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Yolanda Cartwright, Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 139, Issue 2, February 2009, Pages 264–270, https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.108.098293

    Thielecke F, Rahn G, Böhnke J, Adams F, Birkenfeld AL, Jordan J, Boschmann M. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and postprandial fat oxidation in overweight/obese male volunteers: a pilot study. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jul;64(7):704-13. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2010.47. Epub 2010 Apr 7. PMID: 20372175.

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