Green tea may help manage many health conditions, such as supporting weight loss and melting belly fat. While green tea alone will not solve your weight problems, you can include it as part of an overall weight-reduction program. However, consuming green tea can cause side effects, and it may not be appropriate for everyone. For safety, talk to your doctor before using tea to avoid any complications.
Green Tea
Like all tea, green tea comes from the plant Camellia sinensis. However, green tea does not go through as much processing as other types of tea, so it is much higher in antioxidants. Its uses include preventing cancer, improving memory, reducing the risk of heart disease and aiding weight loss. You can ingest green tea as a beverage or take it in capsule form. However, there is not enough research to fully understand the effects of green tea on the body or what health benefits it may have, says the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Green Tea and Weight Loss
While there are no magic foods, beverages or pills that can burn fat without the help of proper diet and exercise, drinking green tea may help. Natural chemicals in green tea called polyphenols -- specifically, catechins -- may boost metabolism and help your body burn fat, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. The best results seem to be in those who are overweight or moderately obese. A general guideline is to consume 2 to 3 cups of green tea per day, or 100 to 750 mg of standardized green tea extract.
Benefits of Catechins
While catechins may help your body burn fat, losing a significant amount of body fat requires drinking green tea in combination with fat-burning exercise, according to a 2009 study in the "Journal of Nutrition." Overweight and obese adults who participated in exercise and drank a beverage that contained both 625 mg of catechins and 39 mg caffeine for 12 weeks lost more fat, especially in the abdominal area, than those who exercised without consuming the beverage. Too much abdominal fat raises the risk of chronic disease more than excess fat elsewhere in the body. While additional research is needed to fully understand the effects of green tea, consuming beverages that contain a mix of catechins and caffeine, such as green tea, appears to help the body expend more energy and burn more calories.
Safety
Both green tea and caffeine are likely safe. However, both can also cause health problems. Everyone's sensitivity to caffeine is different, and for some just a small amount can cause insomnia, irritability, headaches, nervousness and many other symptoms. Green tea extract, MedlinePlus notes, is possibly safe.
Do not consume more than 5 cups of green tea a day, notes MedlinePlus. At higher doses, it can cause headaches, nervousness, sleep problems, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, irregular heartbeat, tremor, heartburn, dizziness, ringing in the ears, convulsions and confusion, and may also reduce the absorption of iron from food. Serious toxicity or even death can occur with a dosage of 10 grams or more; 1 teaspoon of dried green tea equals about 2 grams. If you are using a supplement or store-bought tea, make sure to read the nutritional label to determine the dosage you are getting, because the grams per serving can vary widely from product to product.
Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, and those with heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, bleeding disorders, eye conditions, liver disease or any type of chronic illness, should only take green tea under a doctor's supervision. For others, green tea with caffeine can interact with many herbal, over-the-counter or prescription medications you may be taking.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Green Tea; July 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Green Tea; September 2010
- "Journal of Nutrition"; Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults; Kevin C. Maki et al.; 2009
- MedlinePlus; Green Tea; May 2011
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