Green tea gives a gentle caffeine lift in a brew rich with antioxidants. Preliminary evidence suggests it may help to prevent and slow diabetes -- and help to regulate blood sugar, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Green tea may help to promote weight loss, although further research is needed. The cons of drinking green tea for weight loss include possible side effects. As with any supplement, consult your doctor before using green tea.
Background
Traditionally, green tea has been used for balancing blood sugar. The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, develops polyphenols in response to stress from sunlight and the process of photosythesis -- the way plants create nutrients. Unlike oolong and black tea -- from the same plant -- green tea leaves are dried in an unfermented state. This gives them a high amount of catechins, a type of polyphenol.
Weight Loss
Polyphenols have antioxidant effects in the body, helping to protect the body from disease, and possibly elevating metabolism and fat-burning for weight loss.Weight loss requires consuming fewer calories than you use in physical activity. An improved diet combined with regular exercise may be the best way to lose weight. A drawback to drinking green tea might be an expectation for the tea to accomplish the weight loss for you. Drinking green tea without dietary change and exercise is unlikely to help with weight loss.
Research
Study results on using green tea for weight loss have been mixed, New York University's Langone Health Center reports. Some studies have found weight loss benefits from green tea, and others studies find no effect.
People who consumed green tea with a meal reported a greater sense of fullness than when they consumed a meal with water, researchers from Sweden's Skane University Hospital reported in the November 2010 "Nutrition Journal." An increased sense of satiety could help you stick to a reduced-calorie diet, although further research is needed.
Considerations
Drinking green tea as a weight-loss strategy may not be effective for someone who habitually overeats, because of a lack of awareness of satiety.
Drinking green tea may increase your risk for caffeine side effects -- especially if you drink several cups a day or consume other sources of caffeine as well. Side effects from consuming too much caffeine include nervousness, irritability, anxiety, palpitations, dizziness and insomnia. Green tea and other herbs or supplements could interact with each other and with medications.
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