The issue of whether green tea is helpful for weight loss can be investigated on two levels. Firstly, there is a vast amount of published material to be reviewed, which then has to be interpreted with full knowledge of what previous research showed. Having looked at lots of data on various ingredients, one can then make more educated predictions about the likely outcomes of new studies.
Green tea for weight loss
The potent benefits of green tea are due to the presence of compounds called catechins, specifically epicatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, epigallocatechin, and EGCG. These compounds help to fight cancer, boost metabolism, enhance brain functioning and improve digestive health, which in turn helps you lose weight. This tea also contains traces of potassium and caffeine. There are several varieties of green tea available in the market. Some of them even contain nutrients like vitamin A, B, C, manganese, zinc and chromium. Green tea contains 99.5 per cent water and is considered the second most hydrating beverage after water. Whenever you buy green tea, always opt for tea leaves over tea bags. Brewed green tea contains more nutrients than the one made from tea bags.
Nutrients in green tea
The potent benefits of green tea are due to the presence of compounds called catechins, specifically epicatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, epigallocatechin, and EGCG. These compounds help to fight cancer, boost metabolism, enhance brain functioning and improve digestive health, which in turns helps you lose weight. This tea also contains traces of potassium and caffeine. There are several varieties of green tea available in the market. Some of them even contain nutrients like vitamin A, B, C, manganese, zinc and chromium. Green tea contains 99.5 per cent water and is considered the second most hydrating beverage after water. Whenever you buy green tea, always opt for tea leaves over tea bags. Brewed green tea contains more nutrients than the one made from tea bags.
Here is what you should know
Well, the most important thing to understand here is that while green tea is healthier than the traditional tea or coffee, it does not mean you can have it throughout the day. Surprisingly, the timing when you choose to drink the beverage may determine if you will have positive or negative side-effects.
The best time
To reap maximum health benefits from green tea, it is important to have it at the right time. Studies suggest that the best time to drink green tea is in the morning and before the workout session. Swapping your cup of coffee with green tea is the best way to kick start your day. Like coffee, green tea also contains some amount of caffeine and L-theanine. Both of them together can help to improve your mood and enhance your concentration level.
If your motive is to burn fat then, drinking green tea before your workout session is the best for you. Several studies suggest that doing this may increase the fat burning process during the workout
The worst time
Drinking green tea after your meal and at night are the worst of all. There are different types of compounds found in green tea, which can bind with the minerals present in the food and can block their absorption in the body. Iron, copper and chromium are some minerals that might not get absorbed by the body if you drink green tea immediately after your meal.
Sipping a warm cup of tea before going to bed might seem like a nice idea, but it is not. Again the caffeine content in the green tea might make it difficult for you to fall asleep. It might also lead to anxiety, high blood pressure and nervousness.
How Green Tea Can Help You Lose Weight
Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet.
It is loaded with antioxidants and various plant compounds that may benefit your health.
Some people even claim that green tea can increase fat burning and help you lose weight.
Contains Substances That Can Help You Lose Fat
Tea leaves contain many beneficial compounds.
One of green tea’s compounds is caffeine. Although a cup of green tea holds much less caffeine (24–40 mg) than a cup of coffee (100–200 mg), it still contains enough to have a mild effect.
Caffeine is a well-known stimulant that has been found to aid fat burning and improve exercise performance in numerous studies
However, green tea really shines in its antioxidant content. Studies show that drinking a cup of green tea increases the amount of antioxidants in your bloodstream
This healthy beverage is loaded with potent antioxidants called catechins
The most important of these is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a substance that can boost metabolism.
Although one cup of green tea may raise your antioxidant levels, most studies have examined the benefits of green tea extract — which is a concentrated source of catechins.
SUMMARY
Green tea contains bioactive substances like caffeine and EGCG, which can have powerful effects on metabolism.
Can Mobilize Fat From Fat Cells
To burn fat, your body must first break it down in the fat cell and move it into your bloodstream.
Animal studies suggest that the active compounds in green tea can aid this process by boosting the effects of some fat-burning hormones, such as norepinephrine (noradrenaline).
The main antioxidant in tea, EGCG, can help inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine
When this enzyme is inhibited, the amount of norepinephrine increases, promoting fat breakdown
In fact, caffeine and EGCG — both of which are found naturally in green tea — may have a synergistic effect
Ultimately, your fat cell breaks down more fat, which is released into your bloodstream for use as energy by cells like muscle cells.
SUMMARY
Compounds in green tea increase levels of hormones that tell fat cells to break down fat. This releases fat into the bloodstream and makes it available as energy.
Increases Fat Burning, Especially During Exercise
If you look at the label of almost every commercial weight loss and fat-burning supplement, you will likely see green tea listed as an ingredient.
This is because green tea extract has been repeatedly linked to increased fat burning, especially during exercise.
In one study, men who took green tea extract before exercise burned 17% more fat than men who didn’t take the supplement. The study suggests that green tea can boost the fat-burning effects of exercise
An eight-week study determined that tea catechins increased fat burning, both during exercise and rest
Several other studies confirm these findings, indicating that EGCG boosts the burning of fat — which may lead to reduced body fat in the long term
SUMMARY
A number of studies show that green tea extract can boost fat burning. The effect is even stronger during exercise.
Boosts Your Metabolic Rate
Your body is constantly burning calories.
Even when you’re sleeping or sitting down, your cells are performing millions of functions that require energy.
Several studies suggest that taking green tea extract or EGCG supplements can make you burn more calories — even at rest.
In most studies, this amounts to about a 3–4% increase, although some show an increase as high as 8%
For a person who burns 2,000 calories per day, 3–4% amounts to an additional 60–80 calories spent per day — similar to what you might expect from a high-protein diet.
Although most of these studies were very short in duration, some evidence suggests that the metabolism-boosting effect persists in the long term
In one study in 60 obese individuals, those taking green tea extract lost 7.3 more pounds (3.3 kg) and burned 183 more calories per day after three months than those not taking the extract
However, not all studies show that green tea extract boosts metabolism. The effect may depend on the individual
SUMMARY
Several studies suggest that green tea can boost metabolism and help people burn 3–4% more calories each day.
Can It Automatically Make You Consume Fewer Calories?
One way that green tea could aid weight loss is by reducing appetite.
This would theoretically make you consume fewer calories automatically — and without any effort.
However, studies produced conflicting results on the effects of green tea on appetite
Some animal studies suggest that green tea extracts or EGCG supplements can reduce the amount of fat you absorb from foods, but this has not been confirmed in humans
Overall, green tea’s primary effect is to increase calorie expenditure, making you burn more fat — but it doesn’t appear to have any noticeable effect on how much food you end up eating throughout the day.
SUMMARY
There is currently no evidence that green tea makes people eat fewer calories. Some studies in animals suggest that it may reduce the absorption of fat from the diet, but human studies have not confirmed this.
Green Tea Can Help You Lose Fat, Especially Harmful Abdominal Fat
When it comes to actual pounds lost, the effects of green tea are relatively modest.
Although many studies show that people do in fact lose weight, there are also some studies showing no effect.
Two reviews of many controlled trials on green tea supplements found that people lost about 3 pounds (1.3 kg) on average
Keep in mind that not all fat is the same.
Subcutaneous fat lodges under your skin, but you may also have significant amounts of visceral fat, also called belly fat.
High amounts of visceral fat are associated with inflammation and insulin resistance, both of which are strongly linked to several serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Several studies on green tea catechins show that although the weight loss effects are modest, a significant percentage of fat lost is harmful visceral fat (25Trusted Source, 26, 27Trusted Source).
Therefore, green tea should reduce your risk of many major diseases down the line, which may lead to a longer and healthier life.
SUMMARY
Green tea extract or catechin supplements may help you lose visceral fat — a fat that is particularly harmful to your health.
How to consume green tea
Drinking hot green tea during the day may help to aid weight loss.
Drinking between 2 and 3 cups of hot green tea throughout the day should be sufficient for supplementing weight loss. The exact amount will vary from person to person, depending on how much caffeine they consume and their natural metabolism.
Green tea comes in a number of varieties but, for weight loss, there are unlikely to be significant differences between them. Plain, minimally processed green teas are likely to have retained the richest nutritional content.
Green tea is considered safe to consume. However, care should be taken in some cases, as large doses of caffeine can pose problems for those at risk of heart problems or with high blood pressure.
Takeaway
Green tea is rich in nutrients and antioxidants that may have a range of health benefits. Further research will be required to determine the extent to which it may help with weight loss and the best method for its consumption.
Green tea is not harmful, and it has been used for centuries. As such, it may be a useful addition to a healthful diet and exercise regime for weight loss and overall health.