Will Drinking Green Tea Help You Get A Flat Stomach?

As with all weight loss claims that sound too good to be true, the answer to whether you can drink green tea and get a flat stomach is "maybe," because your results will depend on your lifestyle choices. A flat stomach comes from reducing body fat and strengthening muscles. Green tea may exert thermogenic and fat burning effects, based on initial clinical studies, but further research is needed, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports.

Background

When it comes to getting a flat stomach, it's possible green tea may help, yet it's still necessary to consume fewer calories than you burn in activity if you're carrying extra fat on your stomach. Engaging in aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, dancing and bicycling in combination with weightlifting helps you to burn calories more efficiently to lose abdominal fat. The American Council on Exercise recommends performing 60 minutes of cardio most days of the week to burn belly fat. Substituting green tea for beverages that contribute to abdominal fat, such as sugary beverages and alcohol, can help you get a flat stomach.

Research

Green tea may help burn fat, according to Swiss researchers from DSM Nutritional Products who reported their findings in the July 2010 "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition." The researchers tested EGCG, the main catechin in green tea, on overweight and obese men. Catechins, also called polyphenols are plant chemicals that have antioxidant effects in the body. EGCG is the most active polyphenol in green tea. Men who consumed 300 mg of EGCG burned more fat than the control groups. A double dose of EGCG, 600 mg, was much less effective for fat burning, suggesting that excess green tea consumption may not help you get a flat stomach. Further research is needed.

Considerations

A downside of all the hype about green tea for weight loss comes in the form of an army of products featuring green tea, many of which have little or any benefit for weight loss. For example, you'd have to drink about 10 bottles of commercially prepared green tea to consume the same amount of antioxidants as you receive from one cup of freshly brewed tea. Two to three cups a day is the adult dose for green tea, providing 240 to 320 mg of polyphenols, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Warning

Although in general green tea contains only a third to half as much caffeine as coffee does, taking in too much caffeine increases your risk of caffeine side effects. Too much caffeine may result in heart palpitations, anxiety, irritability, nervousness, insomnia, increased urination due to its diuretic effect, and ultimately fatigue due to reduced sleep quality. Too little sleep can sabotage your moods, your work performance and undermine your weight loss efforts.