Green Tea To Increase Metabolism

Unlike black tea, green tea leaves do not undergo a period of fermentation. This helps preserve substances in the tea which appear to have health benefits. These chemicals may also help increase metabolism. Some stores market green tea extract as a form of diet pill. While drinking green tea or taking a green tea tablet won't make you thin, it may raise your metabolism slightly and temporarily.

Metabolism

Metabolism means all of the many processes going on in your body that use energy. That ranges from keeping the heart pumping and the lungs working to digesting food and firing the nerves in your brain. A high metabolism generally means that you burn off fuel quickly, including fat. Your metabolic rate may decrease throughout your life and is influenced by factors from weight to your activity levels. Drinking green tea alone won't significantly change your metabolism.

Studies

Several studies appear to confirm the notion that green tea increases metabolism. For example, in a 2008 study experts from the University of Birmingham found that fat oxidation rates were 17 percent higher in participants who took green tea extract. Similarly, a 1999 study by scientists at the University of Geneva concluded that green tea helps in fat oxidization in the body and has thermogenic properties. Thermogenic means that it raises heat in the body through increasing metabolism. Both studies appeared in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."

Polyphenols

Substances called polyphenols are in green tea. Sometimes known as flavonoids, these compounds have some antioxidant properties. This means they're able to soak up harmful molecules in the body known as free radicals. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, a type of polyphenol in green tea known as catechin helps to burn fat by increasing body metabolism.

Caffeine

Green tea contains between 9 and 50 mg of caffeine per 8 oz. cup. By way of comparison, brewed coffee contains between 72 and 130 mg of caffeine per 8 oz. Caffeine works as a stimulant in the human body. That's why caffeine may play a role in increasing the metabolic effect of green tea. Studies suggest that caffeine works alongside catechin and other substances in the green tea to boost metabolism.

Considerations

Dr. Jane Higdon from the Linus Pauling Institute reports that some clinical studies link high doses of green tea extract with negative side effects. These include nausea, insomnia, stomach pain, vomiting and confusion. However, test subjects consumed 6 g of green tea extract each day, far more than the recommended doses. The caffeine in the green tea extract may have been primarily responsible for some of the effects.