Green Tea And Weight Loss

The benefits of green tea on weight loss have been borne out through several scientific studies.

One such study, published in the journal Obesity in 2007 looked at the relationship between consumption of green tea extract and weight in a group of 240 Japanese women. The women were divided into two groups, a control group which received 96mg of green tea catechins a day, and a test group which received 583mg of green tea catechins a day.

The study was conducted over a 12 week period during which the participants made no other diet or lifestyle changes. At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found that the high catechin group had lost an average of 1.7kg of body weight compared to just 0.1kg in the control group. The high catechin group also reduced their body fat percentage by 2.5% and waist size by 2.5cm. Furthermore, the researchers noted a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the participants who had relatively high blood pressures at the beginning of the study.

A second study, published by Swish researchers in 1999 found that the equivalent of around 5 cups of green tea increased total daily energy expenditure by 4% or around 60-80 calories per day.

Green tea has a thermogenetic effect on the body meaning it increases the bodies metabolism and therefore the amount of energy burned. While much of the thermogenetic effect of green tea is due to its caffeine content it appears that catechins found in green tea may also act in conjunction with the caffeine to increase the bodies metabolism.

Catechins are powerful antioxidants that are found abundantly in most teas as well as cocoa beans and red wine. Epigallocatechin gallate (ECCG), which is a catechin found only in tea is thought to be particularly effective in increasing thermogenesis. The catechin content of green tea leaves is typically between 10 and 20% with ECCG being the most common catechin.