Green tea gets a great deal of attention for its health benefits, but white tea possesses even more antioxidants. Green and white teas---as well as black and oolong---come from a single plant. White tea is harvested from the buds of the camellia sinensis before chlorophyll turns it green. A diet that includes calorie-free, metabolism-boosting white tea may speed weight loss results.You should consult a physician before beginning any weight-loss program.
Theories/Speculation
White tea has been much less studied than green tea for its effectiveness in weight loss, but one study suggests white tea may prevent the formation of fat cells in your body. Marc Winnefeld, a German researcher, tested a white tea extract in an experiment on fat cells. According to the study, published in Nutrition and Metabolism in May 2009, antioxidants in white tea helped premature fat cells from developing into fully-formed fat cells. Winnefeld added that white tea helped break down existing fat cells, demonstrating potential to both prevent and reverse obesity.
Properties
The key properties in white tea are caffeine and catechins. White tea contains more catechins and less caffeine than green, black or oolong teas, according to a Washington Post article. The more time tea spends on the vine, the fewer catechins it contains. The oxidation process affects tea's caffeine content in the opposite manner--time spent on the vine increases caffeine content. Caffeine is a stimulant that suppresses appetite. Catechins purportedly boost metabolism and speed fat burning.
Considerations
You may need to drink three to five cups of white tea daily to achieve weight loss results, according to a Los Angeles Times article. In a study conducted at Oklahoma State University, people who drank four cups of tea containing 530 mg of catechins daily lost 5.5 pounds in 8 weeks and people who took tea supplements containing 460 mg of catechins lost 4.9 pounds during the same period. People who took placebos did not lose weight, according to the study led by researcher Arpita Basu and published in the in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in August 2010.
Expert Insight
Craig Coleman, an associate professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut, says catechins produce trivial amounts of weight loss. In his review of 15 weight loss studies, he found that people who consumed at least 300 mg of catechins lost 1 to 3 pounds in three to 24 weeks. Basu disagrees, saying that tea catechins provide a healthy addition to a weight loss regimen that includes diet and exercise.
Antioxidants
If you want to obtain the most benefits from white tea, you should brew it yourself. Catechins are highly sensitive antioxidants that are destroyed by processing as well as oxidation. Any time the composition of tea leaves changes, catechins disappear. White tea brewed from loose leaves will contain more catechins than white tea made from tea bags or mixes or purchased in bottles. Bottled green tea, for instance, contains just 10 percent as many catechins as brewed tea, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
References
- "Nutrition and Metabolism";White Tea extract induces lipolytic activity and inhibits adipogenesis in human subcutaneous (pre)-adipocytes; Jörn Söhle , Anja Knott , Ursula Holtzmann , Ralf Siegner , Elke Grönniger , Andreas Schepky , Stefan Gallinat , Horst Wenck , Franz Stäb and Marc Winnefeld; May 2009
- Eurekalert: White tea -- the solution to the obesity epidemic?
- "The Washington Post"; Give Green Tea a Try, but Get a Handle on the Perfect Brew for You; Robert L. Wolke; April 25 2007
- "Los Angeles Times"; Slim Chance Green Tea Can Burn Fat Off; Chris Woolston; Aug. 16, 2010
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Green Tea Supplementation Affects Body Weight, Lipids, and Lipid Peroxidation in Obese Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome; Arpita Basu etal; August 2010
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