Want to chew the fat...away? Green tea chewing gum promises the fat-burning powers of brewed green tea in a stick of gum. The problem with verifying --- or disproving --- manufacturers' claims is that product labels don't provide specifics about the contents of their gum. But, even if green tea gum lacks the metabolism-boosting strength of fresh tea, chewing it may help you reduce snack cravings.
Green Tea Gum Labels
Several companies produce sugar-free chewing gum that contains green tea catechins --- also called epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG --- and one specifically states on its labels that a stick of gum contains the antioxidants you'd get in a cup of green tea. But the wording makes it unclear whether you are getting the same type or the same amount of antioxidants. Also, the amount of antioxidants --- primarily catechins --- found in a cup of green tea varies by processing and brand.
Green Tea Antioxidant Levels
According to a study conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture, green tea brewed from loose leaves contains the highest amount of catechins --- 127 mg per cup. Green tea brewed from organic tea bags boasts the next highest amount, 100 mg per cup. Catechin concentration found in other green tea bags ranges from 19 mg to 100 mg. Decaffeinated and flavored teas do not contain as many catechins and bottled green tea contains just 12 mg. Processing kills off catechins, according to the USDA, and it is likely that the process of manufacturing gum destroys a high percentage.
Amount of Gum-Chewing Required
It may be necessary then to chew a lot of gum to gain a noticeable weight loss advantage. Studies show that consuming 300 mg to 660 mg of green tea catechins may help shed weight, while consuming fewer than 150 mg seems to have little effect. You would need to drink between three and 55 cups of green tea daily or chew at least as much gum to achieve the fat-burning results in recent clinical trials.
Scientific Study
Among scientific studies demonstrating the greatest weight loss benefit of green tea catechins was one conducted by Kevin Maki. In his study, published in 2009 in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," men drank either 660 mg of green tea catechins or 22 mg of black tea catechins every day for 12 weeks while also following a calorie-restricted diet. Men who drank green tea lost nearly twice as much weight as those who drank black tea, 5.4 lbs. compared to 2.9 lbs. during the course of the study.
Chewing Gum May Reduce Food Cravings
Chewing gum --- green tea or any other sugar-free gum --- may reduce between-meal cravings. Dr. Paula J. Geiselman, of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, said that people who chewed sugar-free gum three times an afternoon consumed fewer sweet snacks than when they didn't chew gum. Geiselman, who presented her findings at the Experimental Biology 2009 meeting in New Orleans, said gum-chewers continued to eat snacks, but consumed 40 fewer calories --- 60 fewer calories from sweets --- because the gum helped satiate them.
Considerations
Green tea may be safely consumed by people who are not sensitive to caffeine, but green tea gum contains additional ingredients that may cause adverse reactions in some. If you want to enjoy the benefits of catechins without chewing gum or drinking tea, choose foods and beverages containing catechins such as red wine, dark chocolate, blueberries, black plums and blackberries. These choices do not contain as many catechins as green tea brewed from loose leaves or organic tea bags, but some may feature similar or superior levels of antioxidants as you'd find in green tea chewing gum.
References
- Amazing Green Tea: Tea Catechins Rich Food and Beverage
- USDA: Brewing Up the Latest Tea Research
- "Biotech Business Week"; New Obesity Study Findings Have Been Reported by K.D. Maki and Colleagues; March 2 2009
- "Drug Week"; Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology: Chewing Gum Reduces Snack Cravings and Decreases Consumption of Sweet Snacks; (NO BYLINE); May 8, 2009
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