Losing Weight & Organic Green Tea

Many so-called “natural” weight loss products claim that green tea can help you lose weight. Although claims of miraculously fast weight loss have no basis in fact, some clinical research suggests that organic green tea may have some minor weight loss benefits. This information is still preliminary, however. Consult your doctor prior to taking any kind of supplement or making any drastic changes in your diet.

Identification

The four common types of tea--green, black, oolong and white--all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The differences among them lie in processing methods. Green tea leaves undergo a steaming process after harvest, which avoids fermentation.

Green tea leaves do not lose as many nutrients as other forms of fermented tea leaves. Pennington Biomedical Research Center reports that the beneficial effects of green tea come from the polyphenols that make up almost a third of green tea’s dry weight. Six different forms of polyphenols contribute to the chemical composition of green tea: epicatechin, epicatechin—3—gallate, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin—3—gallate, catechins and gallocatechin. Epigallocatechin—3—gallate, also called EGCG, accounts for 65 percent of green tea’s polyphenol content.

Effects

The polyphenolic content, and particularly the EGCG levels, of green tea increase the body’s metabolism, allowing it to burn fat. Additionally, research suggests that green tea may inhibit the absorption of fat into the body and increase excretion of fat out of the body. Green tea may also contribute to weight loss by suppressing your appetite. In a 2000 study, lab rats injected with EGCG derived from green tea consumed 60 percent less food after a week of injections, according to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Furthermore, the rats lost up to 21 percent of their body weight over the course of the study.

Considerations

Using green tea or extracts that contain caffeine can cause insomnia or restlessness. If you take aspirin or blood thinning medications, consult your doctor before using green tea because it may prevent blood clotting. Many of the clinical studies researching the benefits of green tea used isolated derivatives or powdered supplements. Only more research can confirm or disprove the weight loss benefits of green tea, cautions Colorado State University.

Other Benefits

Research suggests that green tea may offer many other benefits in addition to weight loss. Regular consumption of green tea may reduce your risk for heart disease, certain types of cancer and diabetes, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center.