Historical evidence has shown that people consumed tea leaves steeped in boiling water for as many as 4500 years. Botanical evidence has indicated that India and China were among the first countries to grow tea. Today, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. Hundreds of millions of people drink tea across the globe, and studies suggest that green tea has many health benefits. In particular, green tea extract has been proven as a way to lose weight.
Green, black, and oolong tea are all derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Originally cultivated in East Asia, this plant grows as large as a shrub or tree. Most recently, Camellia sinensis grows throughout Asia and parts of the Middle East and Africa.
People in Asian countries more commonly consume green tea while black tea is most popular in the United States. Green tea is prepared from unfermented leaves while black tea is from fully fermented leaves. The more the leaves are fermented, the lower the polyphenol content and the higher the caffeine content. Green tea has the highest polyphenol content while black tea has roughly 2 – 3 times the caffeine content of green tea.
Green tea has long been used in China as medicine to treat headaches, poor digestion, and improve overall health and life expectancy. Green tea extract is bioflavonoid rich. One of its main uses is fighting free radicals. Green tea extract contains a high level of polyphenols, a bioflavonoid. It is also a rich source of EGCG(a powerful antioxidant) that is 200 times more potent than vitamin E as an antioxidant. The EGCG in green tea is effective against infections and blocks the actions of carcinogens. It is also effective at lowering cholesterol.
Green tea has been thoroughly studied in people and animals. Results from these studies suggest that green tea may be useful for lowering cholesterol, and weight loss.
Research indicates that green tea lowers total cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol in both animals and people. One clinical study found that men who drink green tea are more likely to have lower total cholesterol than those who do not drink green tea. Results from one animal study suggest that polyphenols in green tea may block the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and promote its excretion from the body. In another small study of male smokers, researchers found that green tea markedly decreased blood levels of harmful LDL cholesterol.
Clinical studies suggest that green tea extract may boost metabolism and help burn fat. One study confirmed that the combination of green tea and caffeine improved weight loss and maintenance in overweight and moderately obese individuals. Some researchers speculate that substances in green tea known as polyphenols, specifically the catechins, are responsible for the herb’s fat-burning effects.
Green tea extract has been proven as an effective way to lose weight. Researchers in Tokyo, Japan noted that daily consumption of green tea containing 690 mg catechins for 12 weeks reduced body fat, which suggests that the ingestion of catechins is useful in the prevention and improvement of obesity.
Catechins, natural components of green tea, help people lose weight by improving carbohydrate metabolism, preventing fat deposition and promoting thermogenesis.
The study in Japan indicated that drinking a bottle of green tea extract containing 690 mg of catechins per day for 12 weeks helped test subjects decrease body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, body fat mass and surface fat area in comparison to a group that drank a daily bottle of tea containing only 22 mg of catechins.
Subjects taking the green tea extract lost more than three pounds of total body fat and seven inches of surface fat, leading researchers to believe green tea extract may be an effective way to lose pounds and inches.
Most green tea dietary supplements are sold as dried leaf tea in capsule form. Standardized extracts of green tea are the preferred way of purchasing green tea. There are also liquid extracts made from the leaves and leaf buds. The average cup of green tea contains between 50 – 150 mg polyphenols (antioxidants). Decaffeinated green tea products contain concentrated polyphenols. Caffeine free supplements can also be obtained.
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