Benefits Of Green Tea

The benefits associated with drinking green tea have been documented for centuries, and has more recently been investigated scientifically worldwide.  Research about green tea's health benefits range from its potential to fight cancer and heart disease as well its potential role in lowering cholesterol, preventing diabetes and with of course weight loss.

The benefits of green tea are often associated with its high content of flavanols.  These plant derived compounds are powerful antioxidants called catechins. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the catechin and flavanol found in green teas.

Green Tea’s Role In Weight Loss and Fat Burning

Although there has been a lot of debate about Green Tea’s specific role in weight loss, there are many promising indications that green tea is beneficial in supporting weight loss, and in particular fat loss, is a few key ways.

Studies have indicated that green tea extracts have shown thermogenic properties most likely due to the interaction between its caffeine content and catechin polyphenols.  Thermogenesis is the process of the body burning fuel / calories released as heat.  Thermogenesis literally translated means the creation of heat.  These studies indicate that green tea extract stimulates brown adipose tissue thermogenesis to an extent which is much greater than can be attributed to its caffeine content alone. 1

Some other very interesting studies have indicated that EGCG increases GLUT-4 recruitment of fat cells. In other words, it inhibits the storage of excess carbohydrates as body fat and instead diverts them to muscle cells. 

EGCG also appears to increase programmed cell death in mature fat cells. Typically when you diet, fat cells reduce in size, not in the number of them.  This is why the “Yo-Yo” fat regain cycle is such a common occurrence with most dieters.  The implication that EGCG can assist with reducing the number of fat cells could become a very serious topic for long-term fat loss success. 2

Best Sources of EGCG

Because of green tea's minimal processing, versus being fermented like black and oolong teas, green tea's powerful catechins (EGCG) are more concentrated and available.  However there is debate on how much green tea to drink to get the appropriate benefits.  There are many Green tea supplements that have documented EGCG concentrations listed right on their labels to make this easy for you.

Some human studies have shown some potential fat-loss with as little as a single dose of 150 mg of EGCG. 2  If you are sensitive to caffeine there are many versions on the market that are decaffeinated.

Switch From Coffee To Green Tea

According to Dr. Perricone MD, just the simple action of replacing your morning cup of coffee with a cup of green tea can have a significant impact on your weight loss goals. Because he says, Coffee (and it's not the caffeine) can result in elevated levels of cortisol and insulin, leading to weight gain. So instead of choosing a cortisol spiking coffee, choose to indulge in the benefits of green tea to decrease the absorption of fats and increase your calorie-burning potential. 3

Sources:

1. Dulloo AG, Seydoux J, Girardier L, et al. Green tea and thermogenesis: interactions between catechin-polyphenols, caffeine, and sympathetic activity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000;24:252-258.

2. Ferris, Timothy. The 4-Hour Body; An Uncommon Guide To Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman. 2010

3. http://blog.perriconemd.com/get-rid-of-body-fat-with-the-dr-perricone-diet/# Begin Your Day Right: Green Tea, the New Coffee