Green Tea Weight Loss News

One of the antioxidants found in green tea, cetechins, which are a sub-class of flavonoids, has been believed to have played a role in reducing the risk of various diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, lowering of cholesterol as well as improving oral health. But a new study released in the February issue of the Journal of Nutrition shows evidence that when green tea and exercise are combined, the tummy area could be the first part of the body to release fat.

The study looked at 132 obese adults who consumed a consistent daily intake of calories and added in about 25 minutes per day of exercise. The group was split in to two categories: One group added a drink daily of 39 milligrams of caffeine and the other group added a green tea drink with 625 milligrams of catechins. After 12 weeks of observation, those that were drinking green tea had lost 2 pounds more than the control group, a total of 4.4 pounds. The group that consumed green tea also had a reduction in abdominal, subcutaneous abdominal fat as well as triglycerides.

“The findings of this study suggest that consumption of a beverage containing green tea catechins (625mg/d) may enhance exercise-induced loss of abdominal fat and improve circulating FFA and TG levels. Additional research is warranted to further clarify the mechanisms responsible for these effects.”

In addition to cetechins, green tea is rich in other antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG ). EGCG is believed to be responsible for stimulating the release of fat in to the blood stream after which it is  flushed out of the body. Green tea also increases a process called thermogenesis or the production of heat in the body. Green tea is also a source of caffeinne which also plays a role in the thermogenesis process. 

Green tea weight loss studies have been performed and have shown that green tea could also boost the athletic endurance by up to 24%.  In a recent study in Japan, mice that were given a green tea extract that would be the equivalent to drinking 4 cups of green ta per day. The mice achieved an improvement in endurance of between 8-24% and also displayed and increase in capacity for exercise and caloried burning after 10 weeks.