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A Doctor's Tea for Weight Loss

Jun 14, 2011 | By Milo Dakota
A Doctor's Tea for Weight Loss
Photo Credit Full House Images/Lifesize/Getty Images

Mark Ukra, nicknamed Dr. Tea because of his tea-and-diet weight loss advice in "The Ultimate Tea Diet," and actual medical doctors say similar things about tea: it can help you shed pounds, treat some types of cancer, lower your cholesterol and blood sugar and protect you against heart disease and stroke. Drinking five cups of natural tea daily --- black, green, oolong and white --- may also help you to live longer.

Weight Loss Benefits of Black Tea

If you need an energy boost in the morning, a calorie-free cup of strong black tea might speed your weight loss efforts in the right direction. Black tea contains more caffeine than any other type of tea. Some black teas contain as much caffeine as brewed coffee but, on average, a cup of black tea will give you about half of the stimulating, appetite-suppressing effect of coffee. You will get 40 mg to 120 mg in a cup of black tea, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Coffee contains 95 mg to 200 mg.

Weight Loss Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea could be a good choice for mid-morning and mid-afternoon beverages. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants that boost metabolism and burn fat. Although all teas contain antioxidants called catechins, green tea contains 3.5 times as many as black tea. Daily consumption of 300 mg of catechins --- about 2.5 cups of strong green tea --- proved effective in 15 weight loss studies, according to the "Los Angeles Times." You might lose ½ lb. per week by drinking green tea.

Weight Loss Benefits of Oolong Tea

Oolong tea at lunchtime will give you a modest caffeine kick --- less than black tea but more than green tea --- and help your body burn fat calories you consumed at your midday meal. Oolong tea contains antioxidants called polyphenols. Polyphenols activate an enzyme called lipase. Lipase dissolves fat, accelerating weight loss, according to Guo Xirong, a researcher who has won awards for his studies on obesity. Xirong says properties in oolong tea polyphenols make it superior to green tea for achieving weight loss.

Weight Loss Benefits of White Tea

White tea is a good evening choice because it contains very little caffeine and the highest amount of catechins among natural teas. It won't keep you awake and will help your body metabolize calories while you sleep. And, if you're trying to lose weight, sleep is an important part of your diet plan. It gives the antioxidants in tea a chance to work and also produces two hormones that affect your appetite: ghrelin and leptin. If you're sleep-deprived, ghrelin and leptin may wrongly produce hunger pangs. And an imbalance of the hormones doesn't signal you to eat healthy foods --- it urges you to fill up on junk, according to Jennifer Sygo, a registered dietitian.

Considerations

If the caffeine in tea bothers you, you could stick with white and green teas. You can also buy decaffeinated versions of black and green teas, but they will contain fewer antioxidants. Pregnant women should limit their caffeine consumption to 100 mg a day, according to the "British Medical Journal." Women who consume caffeine in higher amounts are more likely to give birth to low-weight babies. If you are serious about weight loss, tea should supplement, but not replace, traditional diet and exercise.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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