Green tea has received great attention over the past couple years due to the many health benefits researchers have associated with it. Several studies prove that it does indeed have a positive effect on our health, including the fact that it can help people lose weight. Increasing fat oxidation and increasing thermogenesis are two ways in which this tea contributes to weight loss. Here we will examine each process and how these factors aid in losing weight.
Some fat is important, as our bodies require fat for nutrition as it aids in the transport of vitamins and minerals through our blood. It isn’t shocking news that too much fat in our diet can lead to many health problems including heart attack, high cholesterol, stroke and other heart related conditions. An increase of fat oxidation leads to weight loss, and regular green tea consumption is a form of increasing the oxidation process. There is also a firm belief that drinking the tea helps to optimize the use of fat in the body and increases athletic performance and energy. Combined with an intense workout (which also evokes a high rate of fat oxidation), tea can be considered a safer alternative to all the diet pills flooding the market these days.
Green tea also helps curb appetite cravings by decreasing the sharp spikes our bodies feel after the consumption of carbohydrates. It slows down the action of amylase (the digestive enzyme responsible for carbohydrate breakdown and digestion) which causes the carbs to be released into the blood slower. This keeps the body from feeling a steep increase in blood sugar which later leads to “carb crash.” This phenomenon is often linked to snacking behaviors in between meals (which is never good when we are dieting), and can be slowed down and/or stopped thanks to the tea’s regulation of blood glucose levels.
Along with increasing fat oxidation and regulating blood glucose levels, increasing thermogenesis is another effect linking green tea to weight loss. The human body produces heat as a means to burn fuel; this is known as thermogenesis. Caffeine and other compounds in the tea create a higher rate of thermogenesis enabling the body to burn calories faster by increasing metabolism. Unlike other metabolic enhancers (such as diet pills or other synthetic drugs) tea creates a gradual increase and is not harmful to the cardiovascular and nervous systems. This makes drinking it a safe and effective form of weight loss.
Steven Broffman is a writer Specialty Tea Benefits, a site dedicated to the health benefits of various teas. Read more about green tea and weight loss at allteabenefitsdotcom.