Have you heard that green tea can help you to lose weight,
or at least improve your body composition?
There may be some fact to these claims as several studies have shown
deceases in body fat in groups consuming green tea as compared to those
consuming a placebo. Green tea is a
source of caffeine and the caffeine may contribute to these effects, but the
presence of catechins in the green tea has explained more of the weight loss benefit
in drinking the tea or taking the supplement.
Not familiar with catechins?
What about EGCG (epigallocatechin
gallate)? EGCG boasts about
having a great effect on thermogenesis which is heat production in the
body. Why do you want more heat
production? An increase in thermogenesis
uses more stored energy, and that typically means using up stored fat.
A study published in 2005 showed that Japanese men who
consumed a green tea beverage containing 690 mg of catechins demonstrated
significant weight loss and fat loss as compared to the control group who
consumed a tea with only 22 mg of catechins.
Research like this prompted EGCG to be included in numerous
over-the-counter weight loss supplements.
The EGCG seemed to have an effect on food intake as well when it was
tested in a study using rats. Those
receiving EGCG seemed to consume less food as compared to the control group
even though both groups were given unregulated access to the same food.
So why aren’t you losing weight when you drink green
tea? Or when you take a green tea
supplement? Maybe you’re taking it wrong…
and it wasn’t your fault! I happen to
have a green tea supplement in my supplement basket, and the directions on it
specifically say, “For adults, take two (2) capsules twice daily, preferably
with meals”. I looked up another one,
pictured above, and it gave similar instructions to consume it with a
meal. I suppose this makes sense to most
people as you might have an upset stomach if you were taking a capsule or
tablet on an empty stomach and it contained high levels of EGCG… but Green Tea,
for weight loss and antioxidant purposes, should be taken on an empty stomach!
A study published in 2005 showed their tested green tea supplement to be 3.5 times more potent when consumed on an empty stomach (after
an overnight fast) as compared to taking the supplement with a meal. EGCG levels of 1200 mg did result in mild
nausea when taken on an empty stomach, whereas 800 mg of EGCG was well-tolerated
without nausea.
If your supplement doesn’t happen to say how much of the
extract is EGCG, a good general rule is about 30%. So mine has 420 mg Green Tea Leaf Extract,
which means it contains 126 mg of EGCG. If
I were to take one capsule, three times per day (as they manufacturer suggest),
that would still be far below the nausea-generating level of 1200 mg. And certainly well below the level as it
takes 1200 mg at one time on an empty stomach to create the mild nausea.
So what’s the take home message? Perhaps you could take a smaller dose of Green Tea Extract and just consume it on an empty stomach. Would save you money by lowering your dose and give you greater benefit at the same time! Or keep your same dose and take it 30 minutes before a meal to get an almost four-fold boost in effectiveness.
Sources:
Nagao T, Komine Y, Soga S, Meguro S, Hase T, Tanaka Y,
Tokimitsu I. Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body
fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81(1):122-129.
Kao YH, Hiipakka RA, Liao S. Modulation of endocrine systems and food intake by green tea epigallocatechin gallate. Endocrinology. 2000;141:980-987.
Chow HH, Hakim IA, Vining DR, Crowell JA, Ranger-Moore J,
Chew WM, et al. Effects of dosing condition on the oral bioavailability of
green tea catechins after single-dose administration of Polyphenon E in healthy
individuals. Clin Cancer Res. 2005;11(12):4627-4633.Kao YH, Hiipakka RA, Liao S. Modulation of endocrine systems and food intake by green tea epigallocatechin gallate. Endocrinology. 2000;141:980-987.
I prefer tea over coffee. I drink 3 cups daily and usually 1 cup is green tea. I occasionally prepare iced green tea from scratch. I find it very refreshing and good
ReplyDeleteEh... I don't care if it's less effective, I'm going to keep drinking my green tea! I already take enough pills every day as it is, I don't want to have to take even more.
ReplyDeleteConsuming green tea supplements likely delivers higher levels of health-promoting compounds compared to drinking green tea in beverage form. If one consumes enough green tea or green tea extract,it will help to lose weight.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I need to try this tea :)
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This is simply because it offers you an opportunity to control the purity level and in long run assure you to reap maximum benefits from the venture.
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Short term, yes, that is the benefit. However, liver toxicity from prolonged intake without food is common with EGCG.
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DeleteThis is very dangerous advice. Supplements such as green tea extract have been shown in numerous studies to be toxic to the liver over time when taken without food. In fact, liver failure occurs. I always take mine with food and never with my multivitamin, since it reduces the absorption of folic acid and iron as well. Please commit to a more thorough literature review before giving medical advice.
ReplyDeleteGood points on the liver effect. However, I would disagree with the multivitamin part, especially for those who hate the forced intake of Iron in their multivitamin
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ReplyDeleteWhat about a drank with 150mg green tea in in? I didnt know there was green tea in it... I drank it on an empty stomach
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No, I am not. But I think that having a cup of green tea would be a great idea. Do not you think so? Please, share your opinion with us!
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