Green tea is a he althy product that has a beneficial effect on the body. It provides a large amount of antioxidants, polyphenols, tannins and amino acids. However, does green tea lose weight? Can it be treated as a fat burner? Check the facts and myths about the slimming effects of green tea.
Green teahas been recommendedfor weight lossfor a long time.owes itsslimming properties to catechins, especially EGCG, a substance called epigallocatechin gallate. EGCG catechins contained in green tea have a significant effect on reducing the number and volume of adipose tissue cells. Research studies have shown that people who consumed green tea saw a decrease in weight, as opposed to people who did not drink green tea. However, many theories have arisen around the slimming properties of green tea. Which of them are real?
Green tea contains substances with a slimming effect - FACT
There are two substances in green tea that have a slimming effect. It is:
- EGCG polyphenol - epigallocatechin gallate
- and caffeine.
Various catechins, mainly epigallocatechin gallate, make up about 30% of the dry weight of green tea leaves. In the case of caffeine, it is from 2 to 5% of the dry weight.
Both of these substances, taken in high concentrations as extracts, have proven to promote weight loss . However, they should not be treated as a miracle remedy for excess kilograms.
Just drinking green tea or even taking green tea extracts without a rational slimming diet and high physical activity will not lead to visible weight loss.
The ingredients of green tea are fat burners - FACT
Both epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine are commonly considered fat burners . EGCG and caffeine actually increase fat oxidation and therefore its use as an energy source.
Other aspects of EGCG that may promote fat burning include a slight increase in thermogenesis and an increase in adiponectin levels, which increases tissue sensitivity to insulin.
Here you can observe the indirect effect on combustionfat, because the less insulin circulates in the blood, the easier the body uses up the reserves it has accumulated in adipose tissue.
Green tea increases training performance - FACT
Green teadrunk in large amounts or taken in the form of extractsmay increase training capacity . Its action is due to caffeine, which has been thoroughly tested in this direction.
A similar effect on physical activity is demonstrated by EGCG, but in the case of epigallocatechin gallate, more research is needed to clearly confirm its effect.
Providing caffeine to the body before training allows you to extend the duration of physical activity and its intensity. As a result of the action of caffeine, endurance increases, later fatigue appears, and the perception of pain is also reduced.
Importantly, for people who engage in endurance physical activity, pre-workout caffeine increases fat oxidation and use as an energy source. This can help you lose weight, but most of all it supports sports performance.
In addition, a longer and more intense workout means more calories burned and therefore promotes weight loss.
The amount of caffeine needed to achieve the effect of increasing training capacity is from 3 to 6 mg per kilogram of body weightand should be taken30-90 minutes before training .
It follows that drinking green tea should be treated as a supplement to the amount of caffeine from the dietary supplement with green tea extract.
One cup of green tea infusion contains about 30 mg of caffeine , and a person weighing 60 kg needs at least 180 mg of caffeine before training to achieve increased performance.
Green tea speeds up metabolism - FACT / MYTH
It is known with certainty that the combination of epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine in high doses increases the body's energy expenditure.
The increase in the metabolic rate is from about 50 kcal to about 100 kcal per daydepending on the dose of the above substances. According to a meta-analysis published in 2011 in "Obesity Reviews" , the most effective combination of 1200 mg of EGCG and 600 mg of caffeineis the most effective for speeding up metabolism
.One cup of green tea contains 50 to 100 mg of EGCG and about 30 mg of caffeine. So in order to provide the body with a dose of bioactive substances that increases the metabolism by 100 kcal per day, you would need to drink about20 glassesof green tea.
Is it real? Rather unlikely. It can be said that it is the active substances contained ingreen tea and consumed in large doses accelerate metabolism.
Does green tea alone increase the body's energy expenditure? It is rather difficult to attribute such properties to it. It is also worth noting that even concentrated green tea extracts do not guarantee a large increase in energy consumption.
Green tea burns belly fat - MYTH
There are no substances that burn fat locally . Just as doing sit-ups does not burn belly fat, there is no way to redirect and focus the action of a given slimming aid in a specific part of the body.
Burning fat, or actually using triglycerides stored in fat cells as an energy source, is a complex process. Its effectiveness depends on many aspects.
There are factors that contribute to increasing the proportion of fat burned around the waist. These include, among others :
- low blood cortisol
- and adequate supply of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.
This does not mean, however, that these substances burn belly fat. They increase the proportion of visceral fat consumed in the total amount of oxidized fat, which results in a slow reduction of the waist circumference.
Green tea for weight loss - research
- Consuming green tea for 12 weeks at 100 to 460 mg of epigallocatechin gallate and 80 to 300 mg of caffeine results in a slightly greater loss of body weight and body fat compared to people who do not consume green tea.
- An analysis of 6 studies on the effect of drinking green tea on body weight in obese subjects showed very little weight loss effect and an average loss of 0.04 kg over a 12-week period.
- Taking caffeine and EGCG extracts results in an increase in energy expenditure by 50-100 kcal per day depending on the doses used.
- A meta-analysis of 15 studies found that taking at least 500 mg of EGCG and 300 mg of caffeine for 12-13 weeks resulted in an average weight loss of about 1.5 kg.
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