Green Tea and Weight Loss - The Science

Green Tea and Weight Loss – The Science

There has been a lot of hype about green tea and weight loss over in the past few years, and sales of green tea have raised dramatically as a result. There are a whole array of benefits of drinking green tea, but weight loss is the key reason that many people are now consuming this beverage in the West.

While some studies show that green tea can help us lose a very small amount of weight if we drink a lot of it everyday without changing our diets or physical activity levels. Other studies show that green tea weight loss works even better when accompanied by a sensible eating plan and exercise regime.

The Science
Green tea is one of the most extensively studied natural health products. Green tea has been shown to lower LDL “bad” cholesterol levels, thin the blood and help protect us from heart disease. More so, the weight loss benefits of green tea are proven over and over again, there is no doubt about its weight loss effects. Clinical studies show that antioxidants found in green tea called catechins induce weight loss by burning fat and burning calories.

One study tested a group of people by giving them the same diet and exercise plan, 30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week. Half the group were given green tea extract (green tea in supplement form), and the other half given a placebo. The scientists were amazed to find that after 1 month that the group given green tea extract lost significantly more weight and lost more belly fat than the group given the placebo! There are many more studies that also show similar results!

However, it is important to note that black tea delivers negligible weight loss effects compared to green tea because black tea is heavily processed and this kills off a large percentage of the catechins.