Are green tea supplements the next natural weight loss supplement break through? The addition of green tea supplements to assist weight loss regimes has been the subject of two recent scientific studies at American Universities, namely Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington DC and the University of California in Los Angeles. Both studies asked, Can green tea help with weight loss?
In the first experiment it was determined that green tea increased metabolism but it did not go on to document whether green tea caused weight loss. In interpreting the results of this research, a scientist concluded that if you drink four or five cups of green tea a day, "you might burn an extra 60 calories--but that's not a lot." It's about the same number of calories you'd burn in six minutes of jogging.
Part of the metabolism boost can be attributed to the caffeine in green tea, but results from this study suggest that some other substance has a contributing effect since green tea seems to increase metabolism slightly more than the equivalent amount of coffee.
This study concluded that although green tea itself isn't likely to stimulate weight loss, if you substitute the tea for lattes, coffee with whole milk, pop or juice, the calorie savings might be significant.
In the second study researchers found that green tea consumption may play an important role in stemming the world-wide epidemic of obesity. This research targeted and explored the process of thermogenesis.
Thermogenesis is the process by which the body generates heat, or energy, by increasing the body’s metabolic rate above normal. This rise in metabolic rate is referred to as the thermogenic effect, thermogenic response, or specific dynamic action. Thermogenesis can be activated by a few different mechanisms, including supplements, nutrition, exercise, and exposure to cold. Stimulation of this process, which is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, increases basal energy expenditure and results in fat oxidation. Many plant compounds, such as catechins and caffeine in tea, exert stimulatory effects on thermogenesis Essentially a boost in thermogenesis boosts metabolism.
Unlike some dangerous drugs such as sympathomimetic drugs and ephedrine, green tea does not increase heart rate and is not associated with any known adverse cardiovascular effects.
In fact, it was a result of the safety concerns related to ephedrine-containing diet pills that researchers were spurred into researching in safer weight loss alternatives such as green tea. In the second study a green tea supplement was given to 70 moderately obese patients for 3 months. The mean body mass index of the study participants was 28.9 at the start of the study. After 3 months, each participants body weight decreased by an average of 4.6% and their waist circumference decreased by an average of 4.48%.
The researchers noted that the increase in thermogenesis and fat oxidation caused by the green tea was not accompanied by an increase in heart rate. In this respect, this makes green tea significantly distinct from and more important than sympathomimetic drugs. As the use of these diet pills is necessarily limited by the adverse cardiovascular effects. The importance of this cannot be overstated as many obese individuals also suffer from hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions.
In conclusion, it appears that green tea can actually help you to lose weight. Green tea is natural and safe and also has other health benefits, so go on and make yourself a cup of green tea today.