Does Green Tea Help with Weight Loss?

Green tea is made from unfermented leaves and reportedly contains the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. Antioxidants are substances that scavenge free radicals -- damaging compounds in the body that alter cells, tamper with DNA (genetic material), and even cause cell death. Free radicals occur naturally in the body, but environmental toxins (including ultraviolet rays from the sun, radiation, cigarette smoke, and air pollution) also give rise to these damaging particles.

Green tea has been consumed throughout the ages in India, China, Japan, and Thailand. Green tea products have become increasingly common on the market today. Used for thousands of years in both China and Japan, green tea is reputed to provide major health benefits.

 Green tea is recognized all kinds of health benefits, from normalizing blood pressure to lowering cancer risk because of its high polyphenols. The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database lists many of these, but the only benefit labeled “likely effective” is mental alertness, likely due to the caffeine content. Future research will likely clarify whether or not any of the phenols have disease-fighting effects.

The ability of EGCG to increase thermogenesis, or heat production, by influencing enzymes in the metabolic process is responsible for the proposed mechanism for green tea’s calorie-burning properties. Green tea extract may boost metabolism and help burn fat which is recommended by clinical studies. The mixture of green tea and caffeine improved weight loss and maintenance in overweight and moderately obese individuals which is confirmed by one study. A research is informed that green tea consists of those materials known as polyphenols, specifically the catechism, are responsible for the herb's fat-burning effect.

If you are serious about losing weight, even though you should not expect the pounds to melt off as some will claim, we still definitely do recommend green tea as a complement to a sound nutrition and exercise regime, not only for the slight metabolism boost it will give you, but more importantly for the many other documented health benefits.

A report about green tea is that it is helped to burn an extra 78 calories a day by boosting metabolism. As a result 28,000 calories is burned in a year - the same number of calories you need to burn to lose 8 pounds of weight. The general consent seems to be that 3 – 5 cups of green tea per day is optimal which is varied by expert.

For some people that have heart troubles, high blood pressure or stimulant sensitivities, the caffeine in green tea may not be the best idea. If you’re worried about the caffeine from green tea, try taking green tea extract. Most green tea extract is made from decaffeinated green tea so you can still get the weight loss benefits without the caffeine.

If you think the caffeine may be a problem, make sure to consult your doctor before starting green tea for weight loss. Also make sure to consult your doctor before starting green tea if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.