For all of its historical glory, the birth of tea brims with Chinese folklore that places the first cup of tea in the swirl of a mischievous gust of wind that pushed a leafy bush into boiling water over 5,000 years ago. While this creation story is clearly up for speculation, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) outlines tea as a prominent feature in early Asian ceremonies, and also utilized in meditation as a rebuttal to sleepiness and pathway to enlightenment. More recent uses of tea exploit the talent of certain teas in weight loss.
Green Tea
A handful of properties in green tea have shown themselves to be excellent sources of weight management through their ability at reducing appetite, inhibiting fat absorption and raising metabolic levels, according to research published by the Colon Therapists Network. At the root of this are catechin polyphenols, high-performing antioxidants, that accelerate calorie burning and prevent glucose from moving into fat cells. By playing a dominant role in regulating blood glucose levels, green tea decreases appetite surges, the research suggests.
Oolong Tea
A recent study published by The Journal of Nutrition has deemed oolong tea an effective weight loss remedy due to its ability to increase "energy expenditure." The study monitored 120 Chinese women who lost on average one kilogram of weight while consuming four cups of tea a day over a six-week period. When oolong tea has been combined with green tea extracts in scientific studies, the results have included "reductions in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, body fat mass, and subcutaneous fat areas," according to micronutrient research published by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Black Tea
The NIH notes that black tea is derived from the same plant as oolong and green teas and is most heavily produced in India and Sri Lanka. Black tea aids in weight loss by utilizing the same catechin polyphenols found in green tea, with added antioxidants of theaflavins and thearubigins, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Black tea also appears to increase the probability of weight loss through the lowering of tissue fat levels in the body.
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