Tea, consumed either as an extract, or as a hot or cold beverage, can offer valuable health benefits, including generous amounts of antioxidants, and possibly a helping hand in weight loss. It's not only a soothing beverage by itself, but by adding it to your daily routine, you may be able to boost your metabolism and burn off more fat from your body.
Healthy Drink
The good thing about tea, particularly teas made from the Camellia sinensis plant -- including green, black, white and oolong teas -- is that they're healthy. As long as you don't add sugar, milk or other flavoring, they contain zero calories, so you can drink tea during your diet and not feel guilty about it. Green tea, black tea and other teas made from the Camellia sinensis, are also rich in antioxidants -- powerful molecules that fight against and neutralize harmful compounds called free radicals that can lead to illness. This might not sound very significant when it comes to weight loss; however, it's a big step in keeping your body healthy and in top shape for exercise and fat burning.
Black Tea
Some teas can help to boost your metabolism, another advantage for burning fat and trimming your waist. According to an experiment published in 2005 by the "Alternative Medicine Review," caffeine in black tea extract showed not only to help curb appetite and provide a short burst of energy -- a plus for working out -- but it also increased metabolism in participants. For your metabolism to benefit from caffeine and tea, you don't have to purchase tea strictly as an extract, but you can drink tea as all teas naturally contain caffeine, unless decaffeinated.
Green Tea
Green tea may be consumed for pleasure, but it can also work as a natural fat burner. One example is that green tea can hinder the way your body absorbs fats through diet by about 40 percent. According to Dr. Eric Braverman, who revealed tea's fat burning abilities on "The Huffington Post" in 2009, green tea also inhibits insulin levels, meaning that instead of allowing those fats to be stored directly into your body's cells, it moves them toward your muscles in order to be burned right away.
Tea Extracts
Drinking tea for weight loss can be a real help. Even if you find yourself busy, or running out the door on a hectic day without time to drink a cup, you can still include tea in your weight loss plan by considering tea extracts. In 2005, the Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute reported on an experiment in which 35 overweight individuals -- both women and men -- were shown to have decreased BMI -- body weight mass index -- as well as body weight, when given 690 mg catechins of oolong tea enriched with green tea extract, daily for 12 weeks. Participants were also able to reduce body fat mass and circumference around their waists when compared to another group who consumed 33 mg catechins of only oolong tea.
References
- The "Alternative Medicine Review"; The Effect of an Herbal Supplement Containing Black Tea and Caffeine on Metabolic Parameters in Humans; AT Roberts, L. de Jonge-Levitan, CC Parker and F. Greenway; Dec. 2005
- "The Huffington Post"; Lose Weight and Stay Warm with Tea; Eric Braverman; Jan. 21, 2009
- Linus Pauling Institute; Tea; Jane Higdon; January 2005
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