Green Tea Weight Loss

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By Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN

We’ve all heard the news that green tea is a powerful antioxidant that can help to prevent free radical damage and protect the body from disease. But new research also indicated that green tea is an excellent aid in weight loss. Green tea has become so highly regarded for its ability to aid in weight loss that you will find it included in the list of ingredients of many of today’s more popular weight loss supplements. So how does it work? And could green tea be the weight loss tool that you’ve been searching for? Read on to find out…

How Does Green Tea for Weight loss Work?

The leaves of green tea plants are heat producing herbs. This means that these leaves, when consumed, can raise the body’s metabolism. Clinical studies show that green tea can boost your energy levels, increase the metabolism, and thereby promote weight loss.

Green tea is a glucose regulator that aids in weight loss by slowing the action of a particular digestive enzyme called amylase. This enzyme is crucial in the breakdown and metabolizing of carbohydrates. This means that green tea can slow the rise of blood sugar that occurs after a meal and stabilize lowered blood sugar levels that might otherwise lead to binge eating. Green tea also helps to increase the body’s metabolic rate, causing those who use it to experience greater calorie burn that further contributes to weight loss.

Weight gain occurs when there is an excess supply of sugars and fats that are stored in the body as fat cells. The components of green tea can help prevent weight gain by inhibiting the movement of glucose in these fat cells.

Additional Benefits of Green Tea and Weight Loss

Numerous clinical studies that have been performed to evaluate the nutritional and medicinal benefits of green tea and green tea extract. These studies have found that green tea can help reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. As early as 1994 an article published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that a diet with regular green tea consumption could reduce the risks of esophageal cancer by as much as 60%.

The study found that certain compounds found in green tea tended to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. It was also concluded that green tea could reduce total cholesterol levels and increase the ratio of HDL (good) cholesterol to LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Green tea can also boost the immune system by fighting free radicals, and reduce the incidence of conditions such as chronic fatigue, stomach disorders, allergies, asthma, arthritis, and oral disease.

Most teas are rich in a variety of antioxidants called gallate compounds. Similar to proanthocyanidins, gallate compunds are powerful antioxidants that prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, a risk factor for coronary heart disease. The most active antioxidant among these compounds appears to be epigallocatechin gallate. It accounts for about 30% of the flavonoids in green tea. Epigallocatechin gallate can also inhibit the growth of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an often life-threatening infection.

What Is The Best Way To Use Green Tea for Weight Loss?

Are you ready to give green tea a try? There are two different ways that you can incorporate green tea into your weight loss efforts. First and foremost, you could start drinking green tea. Choose a reputable brand of organic green tea at a health food store or natural grocer, and make yourself a cup or several cups of tea every day. You can also take a green tea extract in the form of a supplement. But be sure to purchase a product from a reputable company that will include all of the necessary components of the plant.

Why Is Green Tea So Good For You?

Both green tea and black tea originate from a plant called Camellia sinensis, however only green tea has been found to have such powerful medicinal properties. How can this be? Researchers theorize that because the tea leaves of steamed in the production of green tea, rather than fermented as in black tea, more of its nutritional components remain intact.

How Much Green Tea Should You Drink?

For most people, two to three 8-ounce cups of green tea will help provide the medicinal and nutritional benefits of the plant. If weight loss is the goal, you may wish to drink five to eight cups a day. Green tea is highly beneficial for you, and researchers have yet to identify an amount that is considered “too much” when it comes to this herb. If you don’t like the taste of green tea, or if you just don’t find it practical to drink this much tea in one day, you can try taking green tea extract in supplement form. Choose a high quality green tea supplement that will be sure to contain all of the nutritional components of the plant.

About the Author

Dr. Edward F. Group III continues to develop, sell and evaluate exclusively high-end natural and organic healthcare products to support a wide range of health conditions. The products we promote are free of toxic tag-along herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, heavy metals, fumigants, irradiation, liver-toxic glues, binders, or gelatin capsules with animal-source risk and toxic preservatives. For more information, please visit the Web’s best resource on weight loss.