What's the Value of Green Tea?

10 heavyweights for weight management #7
By Bill Sardi June 22, 2010

Green tea: Components of green tea, particularly epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, have been demonstrated in lab dish and animal models of obesity to reduce fat mass, body weight, fat absorption, blood plasma levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose and insulin.21

Green tea contains caffeine. High caffeine consumption has been shown to reduce weight, fat mass and waist circumference more than low caffeine consumption.22 However, when obese adults were given green tea providing 270mg EGCG in low and high caffeine content, the low-caffeine group still experienced significant weight loss.23 EGCG, the primary active ingredient in green tea, has been shown to be helpful in weight loss by promoting loss of body fat, independent of caffeine.24 It's possible that EGCG pills may be more beneficial than tea drinking in regard to weight control.25

An overlooked mechanism by which green tea controls weight gain is its iron-controlling capabilities. Green tea and its extracts are known to be effective in preventing iron overload.26

References
21. Yoshioka M, et al. Effects of red-pepper diet on the energy metabolism in men. J Nutr Scienc Vitaminology 1995;41:647-56. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8926537
22. Chaiyata P, et al. Effect of chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens) ingestion on plasma glucose response and metabolic rate in Thai women. J Med Assoc Thailand 2003;86:854-60.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=14649970
23. Elkayam A, et al. The effects of allicin and enalapril in fructose-induced hyperinsuliemic hyperlipidemic hypertensive rats. Am J Hypertension 2001;14:377-81.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez? =pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=11336185
24. Wolfram S, et al. Anti-obesity effects of green tea: from bedside to bench. Molecular Nutr Food Res 2006;50:176-87. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16470636
25. Westerterp-Plantenga MS, et al. Body weight loss and weight maintenance in relation to habitual caffeine intake and green tea supplementation. Obes Res 2005;13:1195-204.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16076989
26. Westerterp-Plantenga MS, et al. Body weight loss and weight maintenance in relation to habitual caffeine intake and green tea supplementation. Obes Res 2005;13:1195-204.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16076989