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Does Tea Burn Stomach Fat?

Jun 14, 2011 | By Ed Donner
Does Tea Burn Stomach Fat?
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Tea contains compounds called polyphenols that have various positive effects on your health. The polyphenols in tea can contribute toward a lowered risk of cancer, Parkinson's disease, heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. One type of polyphenol contained in green tea--catechins--functions as an especially powerful antioxidant, which protects you from the damaging effects of free radicals. In addition to these health effects, the polyphenols in tea enhance weight loss, increase the metabolism of fat, suppress fat accumulation and reduce the amount of stomach fat.

Catechins and Types of Tea

The catechins in your tea are contained within the leaves of the tea plant, where they protect the plant from oxidative stress the same way they protect you. However, different types of tea are processed in different ways, affecting the density of catechins and other polyphenols that remain in the tea. Green tea is the least processed tea and it contains the greatest amount of catechins. The techniques used to process white tea, partial steaming and air drying, preserve most of the catechins, making white tea the second most potent source of tea catechins. In oolong and black tea, the tea leaves have been fermented, which seems to reduce the number of catechins, as reported by a study in the October 2007 issue of "African Journal of Biotechnology." Most research on catechins uses green tea because it has the greatest amount of catechins and other polyphenols.

Fat Burning

The catechins in green tea boost metabolism of fat and promote weight loss. One of the catechins found in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate, heightens the activity of enzymes involved in metabolism, increasing thermogenesis, or heat production. This causes you to burn more calories, whether you are sitting or running. The increased thermogenesis caused by tea catechins appears to directly affect stomach fat. A 12-week study published in the January 2005 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that daily consumption of tea containing 690 mg of catechins reduced body fat and waist circumference.

Fat Oxidation During Calorie Deprivation

Green tea enhances oxidation of fat during calorie-deficit diets. A study published in the February 2008 issue of the "Physiology & Behavior" found that obese men on a 12-week calorie-restricted diet who drank tea lost more than 7 pounds more than their non-tea-drinking counterparts. The authors obtained physiological assays at four-week intervals during the study. They concluded that drinking green tea increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation. In other words, the green tea increased how many calories they burned during the day and increased how much fat they burned.

Catechins and Waist Size

Tea can cause a metabolic boost that decreases stomach fat even in the absence of a highly restricted diet. A 90-day study published in the April 2009 issue of "Obesity" had four groups drink tea with different amounts of catechins. Those who drank the tea with the greatest amount of catechins had the largest decreases in body fat, waist size and weight.

Limits

Studies on the effects of catechins typically have participants consume between 630 to 700 mg of catechins--the equivalent of what would be contained in six to nine cups of green tea. Also, even if you did drink that much tea, it would not compensate for poor eating habits. Tea is an exceptional diet food. It has no calories, fills you up, quells your appetite, increases your metabolism and burns fat. Still, it will not burn off that extra piece of deep-dish pizza or super-sized fast-food meal. However, when used in conjunction with a calorie-wise diet and regular exercise, green tea can be an effective ally as you battle your bulge.

References

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

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