How Much Green Tea Should I Drink To Lose Weight?

Green tea comes from Camellia sinesis leaves dried directly after harvesting. The same plant produces all types of tea that contain caffeine, including oolong and black tea. Although it has two to three times less caffeine than black tea, it contains more polyphenols, plant compound with antioxidant properties. Preliminary research indicates the combination of green tea's antioxidants and caffeine may promote weight loss by elevating metabolism and fat burning.

Background

Green tea contains more catechins than black tea and oolong tea because the leaves are dried when they're green, without being fermented. Catechins are the polyphenols in tea, plant chemicals that have antioxidant properties. The tea plant develops polyphenols in response to the stress of sun exposure and photosythesis. Photosynthesis refers to the way plants produce food from sunlight. Antioxidants help to protect the body from certain diseases -- and in the case of green tea, may promote weight loss. Freshly brewed tea contains more antioxidants than ready-to-drink tea.

Weight Loss

Weight loss requires changing your energy balance. You need to create a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose 1 lb. Combining moderate calorie restriction with increased physical activity promotes healthy weight loss. Stress and lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain and difficulty in losing weight. In addition to using green tea for its thermogenic effect, substituting green tea for black tea or coffee may help you lose weight if you're stressed or not sleeping well. Green tea's lower caffeine content is less likely to produce common caffeine side effects such as jitteriness, anxiety and trouble sleeping. Drinking a cup of freshly brewed green tea two to three times a day may help you lose weight.

Green Tea

Preliminary research indicates that green tea provides thermogenic and fat burning effects. Thermogenesis refers to increased heat in the body that causes calories to burn faster. Thermogenic aids, including green tea, may counteract the tendency of the metabolism to slow during dieting. In a study on overweight and obese adults exercising at moderate intensity for at least 180 minutes a week, subjects who drank a green tea beverage containing 39 mg of caffeine and 625 mg of catechins lost more weight and abdominal fat than a control group, according to resesearchers from Indiana's Provident Control Group who published their findings in the February 2009 "Journal of Nutrition."

Quantity

The caffeine and polyphenol content of green tea varies. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that two to three cups of green tea contain 240 mg to 320 mg of polyphenols. This amount of tea or 100 to 750 mg per day of standarized green tea extract or is the recommended adult dose. In general, plants grown organically tend to have higher levels of antioxidants than plants grown commercially, so choosing organic green tea may provide you with a brew higher in the polyphenols that promote weight loss.