The short answer to that question is yes! It would appear that green tea can be used as a weight-loss tea as one of its many benefits to your health.
With the advent of oolong tea nearly 1,000 years ago, it is said that when times were hard and crops not plentiful, green tea drinkers in southeast China switched to oolong because of they couldn’t afford the weight loss they experienced with green tea! Oolong is now believed to have many of the same weight loss properties as green tea, but with a different aroma and flavor. As oolong is a semi-oxidized tea, it doesn’t have the higher concentration of beneficial catechin polyphenols (a kind of antioxidant) that green tea boasts.
The secret to green tea’s weight-loss reputation lies in its thermogenic properties. Thermogenesis simply means that the body’s metabolism rate increases, which is known to accelerate the burning of fat. University of Geneva researchers found that two substances in green tea are responsible for its thermogenetic effects. When ingested as green tea (or in green tea extract form), the caffeine in the tea acts in response to the polyphenol “EGCG, “ discussed earlier as a particularly effective antioxidant.
The two in combination set off a thermogenetic reaction that triggers the body to release fat cells for immediate use. Researchers say that the release of stored fat for fuel increases the body’s metabolic rate by 4%, a significant rate for a nonprescription substance. Similar research indicates that green tea’s thermogenetic effect burns up as much as 70 calories a day more with no change in your eating habits or exercise routine.
But speaking of exercise, catechin polyphenols in green tea also free up fat for fuel during exercise, so that more fat and fewer carbohydrates are used. This small change has a big impact on your stamina, allowing you to exercise longer, build more fat-burning muscle, and speed up the weight loss you desire.
Polyphenols also “melt” triglycerides, small packets of fuel for your body created in the liver and small intestine. Carried throughout your system, triglycerides only become a problem when too many are produced and travel through your bloodstream to be stored as fat. The polyphenols found in green tea work to break down triglycerides before they turn to fat, providing yet another way to rid the body of weight-producing substances.
Common sense – and modern science – tells us that drinking more fluids helps the body feel full, reducing the urge to eat and the number of calories consumed. But many people find it hard to drink enough plain water to have the desired effect, and flavored waters, even most “vitamin waters,” are packed with sugar. Drinking enough coffee to mirror water’s beneficial effects leaves most people too jittery and with acid stomachs. Diet sodas and other diet drinks, once thought to be a panacea for dieters, have now come under scrutiny because the artificial sweeteners they contain seem to cause cells to store fat rather than reduce it. Only green tea provides the flavor and satisfaction that help dieters stave off hunger, with less boredom, less caffeine than coffee or diet colas, and with the added benefit of antioxidants to improve your overall well-being. Although brewed green tea, as mentioned before, has only about 1/3 the caffeine of a cup of coffee, you can switch to cinnamon tea or decaffeinated tea in the afternoon if you’re sensitive to caffeine’s effects. The decaffeination process does not affect the nutritional or weight-loss benefits of green tea.
There’s another factor that’s rarely considered when green tea is recommended as a weight-loss tea. Often, vitamin or mineral deficiencies in the body lead to cravings and subsequent bloating and weight gain. Underlying health issues and depression can also cause weight gain due to the body’s misplaced efforts to correct imbalances and “feel better.” Drinking green tea to fight disease and restore the body’s natural vitality can go a long way toward setting you up for successful weight loss and sensible eating.
So how does green tea score as a weight-loss tea? Green tea hits a homerun for dieters whether you have a few or many pounds to lose!