Green Tea Also Has Anticancer Properties
Green tea, which has been reported to have anticancer properties and to raise levels of antioxidants in the blood that may ward off heart disease, now appears to have the potential to promote weight loss. A new study in the March issue of the International Journal of Obesity concludes that green tea extract increases the burning of calories and fat needed to lose weight.
Green Tea In Liquid Or Capsule May Aid In Weight Loss
Previous animal studies showed that green tea extract increased thermogenesis, which is the generation of body heat that occurs as a result of normal digestion, absorption, and metabolization of food. In previous human studies, the authors showed that consumption of green tea increased thermogenesis as well as energy expenditure and fat loss in healthy men, suggesting that green tea in liquid or capsule form may be an effective way to aid weight loss.
In the new study, conducted by Abdul Dulloo, from the Institute of Physiology at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, researchers exposed a particular type of fatty tissue from rats to caffeine and to green tea extract containing small concentrations of caffeine.
Green Tea Containing Caffeine Can Raise Metabolism
Green tea containing caffeine significantly increased thermogenesis by 28% to 77%, depending on dose, whereas caffeine alone resulted in no significant increase. When the stimulant ephedrine was added to green tea with caffeine, the increase was even more significant compared with caffeine alone and ephedrine alone. Caffeine and ephedrine are used together in some herbal weight loss preparations, but there are many safety concerns regarding ephedrine because it raises heart rate and blood pressure.
Dulloo and colleagues also tested the plant compound EGCG found in green tea. They found that the stimulant ephedrine alone had no effect on thermogenesis, but that caffeine plus ephedrine resulted in an 84% increase. However, adding EGCG to the caffeine plus ephedrine mix increased thermogenesis even further.
"Our studies ... raise the possibility that the therapeutic potential of the green tea extract, or indeed a combination of EGCG and caffeine, may be extended to the management of obesity," Dulloo and co-authors write.
A researcher who reviewed the study for WebMD says that while the work is interesting and extends this group's previous findings by showing that compounds in green tea other than caffeine are involved in thermogenesis, caution should be used in interpreting animal data and applying it to humans.
"They used [a particular type of fatty tissue] from rats and we don't really know how significant that tissue is in humans or if it is different in obese vs. non-obese people," says Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr, PhD. "It doesn't rule out the significance of the findings, and it is a good model to use to look at the effects of caffeine and the combination of caffeine and the [plant] compounds that are present in green tea, but until better clinical trials are done in humans, it's hard to say what the physiological significance of this actually may be."
Zidenberg-Cherr, who is an associate professor of nutrition at the University of California, Davis, also points out that thermogenesis plays only a very small role in energy expenditure in adults. Most of the energy expended is used to maintain basic body functions such as breathing and the flow of blood throughout the body.
She says green tea may have many health benefits due to its plant compounds, but cautions that it is not the answer to weight-loss woes. "Green tea can't be used, and it shouldn't be used, as a 'magic bullet' for weight loss," she tells WebMD. "You've got to combine it with other changes, including increasing physical activity and reducing a high-calorie diet."
You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as the bylines are included.
Original URL (The Web version of the article): drinking green tea may help you lose weight
About The Author
Michael Lewis has been collecting articles and information on Weight Loss and HGH (Human Growth Hormone and related health benefits. He has created and edits numerous web sites about this subject. Michael is a staff writer for drinking green tea may help you lose weight and several otherwebsites. If you would like to contact Michael you can e-mail him at drinking green tea may help you lose weight If you would like to know more about Weight Loss, HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health topics please visit us at drinking green tea may help you lose weight.
How was it for you? Did you get through the... Read More
Yesterday, out of the blue, without any foreboding gossip or... Read More
(Ailsa's Apple Crumble Diet)I'm Scottish, so it's not a big... Read More
Your Non-Conscious Mind is 98% of your full power.Your Inner... Read More
Losing weight and going on a diet can be quite... Read More
Here are the 4 things you need to know about... Read More
I am Dr Patrick Flanagan, and this is the latest... Read More
Building a Perfect Body for Body Perfect Fitness and Health... Read More
Finally - you are alone. No one else is around.... Read More
An increasing trend over the last few years has been... Read More
If you're trying lose weight, maintain your weight, or sculpt... Read More
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor; nor do I play... Read More
If you are overweight and suffer from pain in your... Read More
What is a mini tummy tuck? Officially called a partial... Read More
Eighteen or twenty years ago, I was into high protein,... Read More
I have had some e-mails come in and everyone is... Read More
Everyone who has ever been on a diet has hit... Read More
Are you trying to lose weight?If you are, STOP!Funny thing... Read More
Your blood cholesterol level is affected not only by what... Read More
Now that everything from a tan to pantyhose comes in... Read More
It comes as a surprise to many consumers that the... Read More
My responsibility as a high profile fitness expert lies not... Read More
Let's not talk about diets. Diets are punishment ? like... Read More
Are you or your family members amongst the 65%?To help... Read More
Hold the onions! Let's talk "liver". No, not beef liver,... Read More
bathroom cleaning service Lake Forest ..Fat Burners refer to the hundreds of products on the... Read More
Have you been on a new diet for a couple... Read More
If you are like everyone else who has hit rock... Read More
You may not like what I'm about to say, but... Read More
As a part of a children's diet and health study,... Read More
Diet pills have met with many different fates, and come... Read More
Weight Loss Axiom Number ThreeInsulin and GlucagonThese are the two... Read More
I just came back from three days in Las Vegas.... Read More
Gastric-bypass surgery is only the first step many morbidly obese... Read More
New studies suggested once again that citric fruits including oranges,... Read More
Losing weight is a tough and demanding task for most... Read More
As a weight loss coach I speak will people regularly... Read More
Do you know someone that is obsessed with the scale?... Read More
In today's bustling world we are constantly surrounded by media... Read More
If you have been dieting and haven't lost weight, stop!... Read More
Just because you're working hard, doesn't mean that you're working... Read More
The Order of Energy UtilizationBack to our table of stored... Read More
Developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, The South Beach Diet touts... Read More
One thing I really must say at the outset of... Read More
Today I stopped by my favorite coffee shop in Berkeley,... Read More
The 3 day diet mixes certain types of foods that... Read More
A startling fact is that carbohydrates are not responsible for... Read More
To say that dieting rarely leads to sustainable weight loss... Read More
There have been endless numbers of fad diets over the... Read More
Abdominal fat is now seen as a growing health hazard,... Read More
Weight Loss |