What oolong tea lacks in popularity, it makes up for in its potential to fight fat and lower cholesterol. According to the "China Daily," oolong tea accounts for just 2 percent of tea consumption and most of its drinkers live in Asia. Oolong tea contains three important properties: caffeine, a stimulant that speeds metabolism; catechins, an antioxidant that burns fat; and polyphenols, an antioxidant that reduces fat and cholesterol levels.
Oolong Compared to Other Teas
Oolong and three other teas--black, white and green--are derived from a single plant, Camellia sinensis. The difference in the four teas depends primarily to the length of time they remain on the vine and the degree of oxidation of the teas. Oolong is less oxidized than black tea but more than the others. It also contains about the same amount of caffeine as black tea, which ranges from about 40 mg to 100 mg per cup, depending on the brand and brewing process.
Catechins and Polyphenols
The catechins in oolong tea--found in higher concentrations in green and white tea--promote fat loss, particularly in the abdomen. Clinical studies in the United States and Germany found links between consumption of catechins and weight loss, but you would need to drink excessive amounts of oolong tea to achieve similar results. The polyphenols in oolong tea accelerate weight loss by activating a fat-dissolving enzyme called lipase. According to Guo Xirong, an award-winning obesity researcher, the polyphenols in oolong tea make it more effective for weight loss than green tea. Losing weight can help lower cholesterol levels.
Oolong Tea and Cholesterol
According to London's "Daily Mail," drinking oolong tea for just four weeks can reduce your risk of heart disease. The newspaper cites a study by doctors from Osaka University who found that patients who drank 1 liter--about 4 cups--of oolong tea daily had lower cholesterol levels than patients who drank water. The patients who drank oolong tea also had higher levels of adiponectin, a hormone found in fat cells that can protect against diabetes and heart disease.
Clinical Study
A Japanese doctor conducted a month-long experiment that showed a correlation between drinking oolong tea and reduction in body fat. Masatoshi Nakona, of Aichi Medical University, asked 12 healthy adults to drink at least 1 liter of oolong tea for a month. Nine participants lost fat in their waists and eight lost fat in the upper arms, according to findings presented in October 2001 at the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity. One woman in the study reduced her cholesterol level from 206 to 157, which included a reduction in low density lipoproteins--LDL, or bad cholesterol--from 137 to 98.
Considerations
If you brew oolong tea yourself, using tea leaves, you will retain more of its weight-loss and cholesterol-reducing properties. Oolong tea is traditionally brewed in a clay pot and you can brew the same leaves six or seven times, according to an Austrialian tea house proprietor. The caffeine content in oolong tea may cause problems for some people. Pregnant women should not drink oolong tea without first consulting their physicians, as caffeine consumption may result in lower birth weight babies, according to the "British Medical Journal."
References
- "The Washington Post"; Give Green Tea a Try, but Get a Handle on the Perfect Brew for You; Robert L. Wolke; April 25 2007
- The Mayo Clinic: Caffeine Content on Coffee, Tea, Soda and More
- "Biotech Business Week"; Scientists at Rutgers University Publish New Data on Obesity;(NO AUTHOR)Oct. 13 2008
- "Drug Week"; Obesity and Diabetes: Researchers For Clinical Research Report Details of New Studies and Findings in the Area of Obesity and Diabetes; (NO AUTHOR)Oct.26 2007
- "Biotech Business Week"; New Obesity Study Findings Have Been Reported by K.D. Maki and Colleagues; March 2 2009
- "The Daily Yomiuri"; Oolong Tea Proven to Have Fat-Fighting Power; Kinji Ito Yomiuri; Sept. 15 2001
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