Green tea has long been celebrated for its potential health benefits, including its purported effects on weight loss. This article explores the evidence surrounding green tea and weight loss, examining how it may contribute to fat burning, metabolism, and overall well-being.
The Science Behind Green Tea and Weight Loss
Green tea is loaded with antioxidants and various plant compounds, specifically catechins and caffeine, which may help prevent chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity by fighting inflammation and oxidative stress and lowering cholesterol and insulin levels. These components may play a role in promoting weight loss by increasing the number of calories you burn daily (energy expenditure) and boosting fat oxidation, metabolism, and thermogenesis.
Catechins and Their Impact
Catechins, a type of flavonoid and polyphenols, are abundant in green tea. Some research suggests that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a specific catechin, may help reduce markers associated with obesity, such as total body weight, body fat percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI). However, it's important to note that not all studies support the weight loss effects of EGCG, caffeine, and green tea.
Fat Breakdown and Oxidation
Fat is stored in cells as triglycerides. To burn body fat, your body must first break these down into fatty acids and glycerol to move it into your bloodstream. This process is known as fat lipolysis. When you exercise, hormones like epinephrine and glucagon are secreted to help facilitate fat oxidation and the release of fatty acids. These fats are then used as energy and, effectively, burned. This is known as fat oxidation. Some research suggests that catechins in green tea, especially EGCG, could aid fat oxidation and lipolysis by boosting the effects of some fat-burning hormones like catecholamine. EGCG may also help inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine. When this enzyme is inhibited, the amount of norepinephrine increases, promoting fat breakdown. Caffeine may also help boost fat metabolism, especially when consumed at rest instead of during exercise. Ultimately, green tea may help your fat cells break down more fat, which is released into your bloodstream for use as energy by cells like muscle cells.
Green Tea and Exercise
Many commercial weight loss and fat-burning supplements have green tea listed as an ingredient. However, it’s important to note that the research on green tea’s fat-burning effects during exercise is mixed. For instance, a small 2018 study found that drinking Matcha green tea before exercise helped boost exercise-induced fatty oxidation. A 2024 review also found that taking green tea supplements and engaging in regular exercise may help with weight management. However, the researchers concluded that green tea supplementation had no impact on lipid markers like cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Lastly, a 2017 review found that some studies reported benefits from ECGC on energy expenditure and fat oxidation when paired with an exercise regimen. However, the authors also found that some other studies reported no significant effects from ECGC when paired with exercise. More research is needed to fully understand the fat-burning effects of green tea when paired with exercise or at rest.
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Metabolism Boost
Your body is constantly burning calories and using energy, even when you’re sleeping or sitting down. According to a 2021 review, some studies found that green tea extract may help boost resting metabolic rate (RMR), which could help you burn more calories at rest by increasing your total energy expenditure. That said, the authors note that not all studies found positive results. More research is needed to understand how green tea may affect RMR.
Appetite and Caloric Intake
Some people suggest that drinking green tea may help you consume fewer calories, which may contribute to maintaining a calorie deficit and, therefore, losing weight. However, studies show conflicting results on the effects of green tea on appetite. For instance, a 2023 review concluded that green tea extract supplementation had no significant effects on the two appetite-regulating hormones, leptin and ghrelin. However, the authors did find that green tea extract helped reduce body fat percentage, BMI, and malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress. A 2022 study of 21 people also found that drinking green tea before breakfast helped increase energy expenditure. However, participants who drank green tea reported increased feelings of hunger. This suggests green tea’s effects on energy expenditure may not be related to increasing feelings of fullness or reducing your caloric intake. When it comes to actual pounds lost, the effects of green tea are relatively modest.
Visceral Fat Reduction
However, some human and animal studies have found that green tea extracts and catechins may contribute to losing visceral fat, which surrounds your organs. High amounts of visceral fat are associated with chronic conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Incorporating Green Tea into Your Diet
How Much Green Tea Should You Drink?
A 2020 review found that consuming at least 500 milligrams (mg) of green tea extract daily for 12 weeks helped reduce body weight and BMI. The authors concluded that green tea may help promote weight loss when combined with eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.
Setting Realistic Expectations
The weight loss effects of drinking green tea after 2 weeks are most likely negligible. Most studies examining the effects of green tea for weight loss have lasted at least 6 weeks, and not all of them have found benefits.
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Choosing the Right Type of Green Tea
Limited research has compared the weight loss effects of different types of green tea. Drinking regular green tea or taking green tea extracts may have some benefits.
Iced Green Tea Recipe and Variations
Imagine drinking a refreshing iced tea and relaxing at your home. What a treat, isn’t it? This Green tea recipe is very refreshing and will keep you fresh within. Green tea can be consumed any month of the year. The only recipe you need this summer to beat the heat is Iced Green Tea.
This recipe is made in half an hour if you want it chilled. Samaara herbal green tea is the best green tea you will find. Speaking about the variety, Samaara provides a variety of teas. Check out our online tea store to explore the wide variety of teas that we offer. Hurry! Your favourite teas are awaiting you.
Iced Green Tea Recipe:
For hot tea, steep 1 bag green tea in 8 oz. boiling water for 5 minutes. For iced tea, steep 5 bags in 24 oz. Remove bags and transfer to a pitcher; stir in syrup (sold at discount stores and SkinnyMixes.com). Chill.
Matcha Green Tea Powder:
Matcha green tea powder makes it easy to add tea to whatever you’re eating. Stir it into to smoothies and soups, dust it on popcorn or even sprinkle on ice cream.
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Green Tea as an Herb:
If you open a tea bag, the finely cut leaves resemble oregano and they can be used just like the herb.
Green Tea in Cooking:
Swap brewed green tea for water when cooking your next pot of beans, rice, pasta or quinoa. You can even use it in place of broth in soup. Experts say tea adds light herbal notes to food along with hefty doses of slimming antioxidants.
Susan Powers' Weight Loss Journey with Sweet Tea
Ever since Susan Powers was a young mom, she’d struggled with extra pounds. She tried using shakes, frozen meals, group plans, even keto, and while she’d usually lose a little, she never managed to give up fast food, pasta or sweets for long. Little by little, they pushed her up to 237 pounds, her energy totally disappearing in the process. What’s the best diet for someone who’s really tired? she would wonder with a chuckle. Then she noticed her daughter’s friend Amy, a crazy-busy mom, having a lot of success on Weight Watchers. Susan thought if Amy could do it, maybe a tired retiree stood a chance. Susan didn’t even have to go to the store to start. She began having things like eggs for breakfast, chili made with pantry ingredients for lunch and chicken with veggies and potatoes for dinner. Susan had shed 20 pounds by the time fate threw her family some curveballs. She and husband Ed ended up welcoming three of their four adult kids back home for several months. Amid the chaos, Susan’s cravings got the best of her, and she began regaining lost pounds. I’m not giving up, she told herself, signing up for in-person WW meetings. The thought of sweet tea instantly conjured up happy memories for Susan. She recalled childhood summers when her mother would boil tea bags, add sugar and pour it over ice. It was their treat after they’d played outside all day. So when she found herself at T.J.Maxx, she grabbed a bottle of the Jordan’s Skinny Syrup everyone in her group was raving about. When a craving hit, Sue was ready. She’d brewed and cooled green tea, which she read could help with metabolism. Swirling in the syrup, she took a zero-calorie sip. It was delicious. In the coming days, drinking sweet tea helped cure Susan’s munchies again and again. So she ordered more flavors of syrup, including vanilla and iced cinnamon roll. She was soon in the habit of enjoying “sweet tea” a few times a day. “I wish I’d known how much this tea would help me sooner,” she shares. Susan’s energy and mood kept shooting higher. And her tummy kept getting flatter. All told, Sue shed 87 pounds and lost about 14 inches from her waist. And she’s used tea to help her keep it off for three years.
Susan's Sweet Tea Recipe:
She’d brewed and cooled green tea, which she read could help with metabolism. Swirling in the syrup, she took a zero-calorie sip. It was delicious. In the coming days, drinking sweet tea helped cure Susan’s munchies again and again. So she ordered more flavors of syrup, including vanilla and iced cinnamon roll. She was soon in the habit of enjoying “sweet tea” a few times a day.
Green Tea vs. Black Tea
Both green tea and the black tea more commonly used to make the South’s beloved sweet tea come from the same plant (Camellia sinensis), but they are processed differently and have distinct characteristics in terms of flavor, appearance, caffeine content, and health benefits. After harvesting, green tea leaves are typically steamed or pan-fired to prevent oxidation (the process that turns the green leaves brown). This helps retain the green color of the leaves. Black tea is fully oxidized. After harvesting, the leaves are withered, rolled, oxidized (sometimes referred to as “fermented,” although it’s not true fermentation), and then dried. This oxidation process gives black tea its characteristic dark color and rich flavor. Because green tea doesn’t undergo oxidation, it retains a vivid hue and more antioxidants than black tea. Green tea is particularly rich in a category of antioxidants called catechins - green tea boasts up to 400% more than black tea. The all-star of catechins in terms of weight loss is called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is distilled out of green tea and sold as a weight loss supplement. Among many waist-shrinking benefits, catechins have been shown to temporarily speed fat burning by up to 35%. Perhaps the best news of all: Tufts University scientists found catechins “ignite” belly fat when we’re active. In fact, folks given a catechin-rich drink were able to burn off midsection flab 25 times faster than those given diet soft drinks.
Zero-Calorie Sweeteners
What makes them “skinny”? They contain zero sugar and zero carbohydrates. While some are made with all natural ingredients, many do use artificial flavors and sweeteners. If the word “artificial” raises concerns, here’s some good news: When University of Colorado researchers had study participants drink either 24 oz. of plain water or 24 oz. of an artificially flavored zero-calorie drink daily, the zero-cal drinkers lost three times more weight.
Maximizing Green Tea's Benefits
Even if you only add two cups of green tea a day, experts say you’ll likely see a difference on the scale. But to maximize results, aim for 4 to 6 cups daily, being sure to switch to decaf after 3 pm. Add lemon, nondairy creamer and/or your low-cal sweetener of choice. Skip dairy, which can block absorption of tea antioxidants.