Oolong, or wu long, tea is a product of Camelia sinensis, also known as the tea bush. Oolong tea is produced by partially oxidizing the tea leaves before drying them. Similar to other teas, oolong tea contains caffeine as well as beneficial antioxidants. Recent research shows oolong tea may help prevent obesity and aid in weight loss.
History
Oolong literally means "black dragon," however, this tea got its name from the man who discovered it, Wu Liang. According to the old story, Wu Liang was out picking tea leaves one day when he spotted a river deer and decided to hunt it. When he arrived home, he was preoccupied by preparing the deer and forgot about the tea leaves he had picked. A couple of days later, he stumbled upon the tea leaves, which had turned color, and decided to dry and prepare them. The cup of tea he made had a unique and interesting flavor that quickly became popular among his neighbors.
Brewing Method
Oolong tea should be brewed using water that is not quite boiling. The traditional method of brewing oolong tea is called gongfu cha, which translates to "a lot of work tea." The Chinese traditionally brew oolong tea by filling a small clay teapot about a third full of dried oolong tea leaves. Then they pour hot water over the tea leaves and immediately empty the water. The pot is filled again with nearly boiling water and set to steep for a few minutes before being served.
Caffeine
Oolong tea, like many other teas, contains caffeine. It is difficult to state how much caffeine is in a single cup of oolong tea because it is somewhat dependent on the brewing process. According to a study performed on obese mice by the Department of Medical Biochemistry at the Ehime University in Japan, the caffeine in oolong tea "enhanced noradrenaline-induced lipolysis in fat cells." The study involved treating diet-induced obese mice with oolong tea for 10 weeks. The study concluded the anti-obesity effectiveness of oolong tea is partially the result of the caffeine content and its effect of the adipose tissues, or fat tissues.
Resting Energy Expenditure
The Department of Applied Nutrition at the University of Tokushima School of Medicine discovered oolong tea directly affects the body's resting energy expenditure, or REE. Researchers provided 11 young Japanese women, of average weight, with either water, oolong tea or green tea. Two hours later, they measured the women's REE with an indirect calorimeter and discovered the women who drank oolong tea had an increase in their REE of 10 percent, while the women who drank the green tea had a 4 percent increase in their REE. The women who drank water showed no increase in REE. When compared with green tea, oolong tea contains half the amount of caffeine with more than double the polymerized polyphenols. Researchers concluded the increase in REE after oolong tea consumption is the result of the tea's high level of polymerized polyphenols.
Weight Loss
Losing excess weight lowers your risk for such health complications as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Although oolong tea has shown weight-loss properties, there are other lifestyle changes you can make to help lose weight in a healthy manner and keep it off. If you are trying to lose excess weight, speak with your doctor about nutrition, exercise and the assistance of oolong tea to reach your weight-loss goals.
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