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Slimming Tea Diet

Jun 14, 2011 | By Milo Dakota
Slimming Tea Diet
Photo Credit Shana Novak/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Slimming teas come in various brands and types. Some are rich with antioxidants and some are loaded with herbs that may pose health risks. Pure teas --- white, green, black and oolong --- provide the most proven weight loss benefits with the fewest risks. Distributors of some "slimming" herbal beverages make dramatic promises without scientific evidence to back them up. The ingredients in some herbal teas may raise your blood pressure or damage your liver. There is no single "slimming tea" currently on the market. Teas with "slimming" in product name may contain only green tea, only herbs or a combination of green tea and herbs.

Properties in Real Tea

All natural teas come from a single plant, Camellia sinensis. White tea, picked from the buds of the plant before chlorophyll has a chance to turn it green, contains the highest number of antioxidants and the least amount of caffeine among the four teas. Green tea, more widely studied than white tea and proven to achieve weight loss, contains nearly as many antioxidants and slightly more caffeine than white tea. Black tea, which is left on the vine the longest, contains less than a third as many antioxidants as green and white tea and two to five times the caffeine, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Oolong falls between green and black tea in caffeine and antioxidant content, but also contains a polyphenol that activates a fat-burning enzyme in your body, according to "The Daily Yokimuri."

Herbal Teas and Weight Loss

Herb teas promoted for weight loss include red and ginger brews. Red tea, native to South Africa and derived from the rooibos plant, has drawn attention as a caffeine-free alternative to green tea because both beverages are high in antioxidants. The antioxidants in red tea contain different properties than those in natural tea and have no proven effect on weight loss. Ginger tea boosts metabolism up to 20 percent, according to the "Sunday Telegraph."
Australia's "Sunday Telegraph" states ginger is an "edible amphetamine" that can boost metabolism by as much as 20 percent. Several animal studies, including one conducted by Japanese researchers, linked consumption of ginger with weight loss. The study, led by L.K. Han, found that ginger helped reduce body weight in mice even when the rodents ate high-fat diets, according to a report in 2008 in the "Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan."

Precautions About Ingredients in Some Slimming Teas

Be wary of buying slimming teas that contain a lot of ingredients. Conduct safety research on any herbs unknown to you. Some common ingredients in slimming teas and their effects include bitter orange, a stimulant that possesses similar properties to ephedra, a popular weight loss supplement until deaths provoked government bans; guarana, a caffeine-like stimulant that may cause jitters and general nervousness; Siberian ginseng, an energizing herb that may cause sleep disorders and elevate blood pressure; goto kola, an herb that assists with mental clarity but may cause liver problems in long-timer users; and kelp and bladderwrack, types of seaweed that contain iodine that might cause hyperthyroidism.

Antioxidants and Weight Loss

The high level of antioxidants called catechins in green and white tea produce weight loss when taken in quantities greater than 300 mg daily, according to the "Los Angeles Times." Drinking four cups of strong green tea helped people lose 5.5 lb. more in eight weeks than people who drank four cups of water and took placebos, according to a study conducted by Arkita Basu and others at Oakland State University and published in August 2010 in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition." Some studies demonstrate less weight loss ranging from one to 3 lb., according to the "Los Angeles Times."

Optimize Slimming Tea

You will get the most out of natural teas if you brew them from fresh leaves and steep them in water that has not reached the boiling point. Processing destroys the antioxidants in green tea, according to a study by the Food and Drug Administration. The USDA says a cup of green tea contains 132 mg of catechins if brewed from loose leaves. Fifty percent of those catechins are lost in decaffeinated and flavored teas and up to 90 percent are destroyed in bottled green tea beverages.

References

Article reviewed by Tina Boyle Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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