Green Teas are far less processed than Black
Teas, undergoing minimal oxidation in their production. The leaves are dried
but not fermented, which gives Green Tea its characteristic lighter color and
fresh taste. Well established and popular throughout the Far East, it is just
now gaining a foothold in the modern West, where Black Tea has always held sway.
Some Studies on Green Tea and Weight Loss
by Brennan Howe
For a number of years now, several benefits have been attributed to drinking
green tea. Today, researchers have come up with more proof to solidify the belief
that green tea can be used as a treatment for obesity and for weight loss.
It is believed that more than half of the American population have weight problems
or are obese. Conditions like these are almost always linked to certain complications
like heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, gall bladder disease,
and hypertension. Weight loss can aid in assuaging the symptoms of some of these
conditions.
Scientists have tirelessly investigated on the weight loss benefits of green
tea. They have found that green tea can actually enhance the total amount of
energy spent by the body. From their findings, they were able to deduce that
green tea has great potential for a weight loss benefit.
Other researches were able to confirm the weight loss benefit of green tea.
A recent study at the University of Geneva had the conclusion that, "Green
tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained
by its caffeine content per se." Where before it was generally believed
that the caffeine content in green tea is the reason for its weight loss benefit,
this recent study deviated from that theory. Green tea has other substances
in them that are helpful in weight loss.
The same team who conducted the study on green tea's caffeine content and weight
loss banded together in Switzerland to perform another experiment. They were
still able to come up with the same results - that green tea has several thermogenic
attributes that make it perfect to use in any weight loss program.
Sample Studies: Green Tea and Weight Loss
Green tea reduces body fat accretion caused by high-fat diet in rats through
beta-adrenoceptor activation of thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue. Conducted
by chief scientist J.J. Choo of the Department of Food and Nutrition, Kunsan
National University, this study aimed to find out if green tea can suppress
body fat and to find out whether this suppression is connected with thermogenesis
spurred by the body's beta-adrenoceptor being activated.
To investigate the weight loss benefit of green tea on rats, the scientists
placed their subjects on a high-fat diet and provided them with green tea extract.
It was discovered that even though the rats were on a high-fat diet, the green
tea extract counterbalanced fat gain without affecting the amount of energy
they took in. Green tea was said to have shown some weight loss benefits in
the fact that it can prevent fat from being stored, can increase protein levels,
and promote thermogenesis by triggering beta-adrenoceptor to action.
Recent findings of green tea extract AR25 (Exolise) and its activity for the
treatment of obesity. This study is a collaborative work between Doctors P.
Chantre and D. Lairon of the Laboratoires Arkopharma in Carros, France. Published
in the 2002 issue of Phytomedicine, this study aimed to find out if green tea
extract has weight loss benefits and can be a potential cure for obesity.
In their study, they used an 80% ethanolic concentrate in green tea extract
with standardized 25% catechins. They tested the green tea extract and were
able to find that it could directly inhibit gastric and pancreatic lipases.
These enzymes are the primary cause of fat storage and by delaying their actions;
green tea extract therefore exhibits a weight loss benefit that can help solve
obesity problems.
It was also discovered in this study that green tea can stimulate thermogenesis.
Given to moderately obese patients, the green tea extract was said to have caused
a decrease in weight by 4.6% and a reduction of waist circumference by 4.48%
after only three months. The findings of the study clearly implicate the weight
loss benefits of green tea.
About the Author
Find more information on the many health and nutritional benefits of green tea
at
http://www.greenteafact.com
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