Why does green tea burn fat

We reviewed the research and spoke to experts to find out. Nieman, who has studied green tea extensively, says this effect is probably due to a combination of its caffeine and catechins—antioxidants that are plentiful in green tea and present in smaller amounts in some fruits, dark chocolate, and red wine. But the effect is likely to lead to little, if any, change on the scale. And the evidence that supplements derived from green tea do much for weight loss is minimal.

Some studies have found modest reductions in body weight associated with green tea supplementation, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.

But other human trials have found no benefit. There have been reports of serious liver damage in people who used green tea supplements. If you don't add sugar, it's calorie-free and can be a good replacement for sugary drinks.

Consumption of up to eight cups a day is believed to be safe, according to NIH, though people that are pregnant or breastfeeding should not have more than six cups daily to limit caffeine intake. These antioxidants have the ability to block the action of molecules called free radicals, which can cause changes in healthy cells that sometimes lead to cancer.

In the Cochrane Library published a review of 51 studies that included a total of more than 1. Each study investigated whether consuming green tea reduced the risk of developing specific types of cancer, including those of the breast, colon , oral cavity, liver, pancreas, and prostate. In a update to that review , the authors concluded that the evidence for a beneficial effect against cancer remains limited, with inconsistent results between studies.

Some data suggests that green tea can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease —a narrowing of the arteries that can lead to heart attack, chest pains, or stroke.

For example, in a study of more than 40, adults, researchers in Japan found that those who consumed five or more cups of green tea per day were 26 percent less likely to die of cardiovascular disease over an year period than those who drank just one cup per day. Similarly, a study of 76, people published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health in found that women who drank one to six cups of green tea per day had a reduced risk of dying of cardiovascular disease over an average of 13 years compared with those who drank none.

How might green tea protect the heart? Experts say it may reduce high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure , which are important factors in cardiovascular disease. While it has recently gained popularity in the West, green tea has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat numerous conditions from headaches to wound-healing. More recently, green tea has been linked to weight loss.

This article will look at the evidence behind this claim, as well as the most effective methods of consuming green tea to help with weight loss. The processes that allow the body to convert food and drink into usable energy are collectively known as the metabolism. Green tea contains caffeine and a type of flavonoid called catechin, which is an antioxidant.

Research suggests that both of these compounds can speed up metabolism. Catechin can help to break down excess fat, while both catechin and caffeine can increase the amount of energy the body uses. A review published in found that green tea supplements, containing catechins or caffeine, had a small but positive impact on weight loss and weight management.

A more recent review investigated the clinical use of green tea to stimulate weight loss in people who were overweight or obese. While it found green tea to have a positive impact on weight loss, the result was not significant, and the authors concluded that it was unlikely to be of clinical importance. There is a theoretical basis to the benefit of green tea for weight loss, and some empirical evidence has been found to support these claims outside of clinical settings. However, research studies in this area tend to use doses that contain a higher proportion of catechin or caffeine than would be found in a typical cup of green tea.

It is important to note that any benefits of green tea for weight loss are likely to be very small. The impact of green tea is not as beneficial as other healthy weight loss methods, such as exercise, that have far greater metabolic benefits. Regularly exercising and eating a healthful diet with plenty of vegetables are highly effective weight loss strategies. Green tea used alongside these methods may increase their positive results.

Drinking between 2 and 3 cups of hot green tea throughout the day should be sufficient for supplementing weight loss. The exact amount will vary from person to person, depending on how much caffeine they consume and their natural metabolism. Green tea comes in a number of varieties but, for weight loss, there are unlikely to be significant differences between them. Plain, minimally processed green teas are likely to have retained the richest nutritional content.

Green tea is considered safe to consume. However, care should be taken in some cases, as large doses of caffeine can pose problems for those at risk of heart problems or with high blood pressure. Both Japanese researchers and Mexican researchers found that the antioxidants in green tea limit the total amount of carbs absorbed by your body after a meal, which ultimately improves sugar metabolism.

Working out on its own is beneficial for weight loss; although diet plays more of a role than exercise, physical activity still has weight-loss benefits such as burning calories, building fat-burning lean muscle, and revving your metabolism. When paired with green tea, however, it's an even more powerful fat-fighter.

In a recent week study , participants who drank cups of green tea each day along with a sprinting exercises lost more belly fat and total fat while increasing lean muscle mass compared to non-tea-drinking exercisers. Looks like green tea might be the only pre-workout beverage you need! Working out is an essential part of any weight-loss plan, but soreness and recovering from an intense workout may keep people out of the gym longer than they want to.

That's where green tea comes in; Polish scientists found that study participants who consumed three cups of the beverage every day for a week had fewer markers of the cell damage caused by resistance to exercise. So it's worth enjoying a cup of green tea before and after a workout. If you have high cholesterol levels, you might want to look into drinking green tea.

A The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition meta-analysis that reviewed the results of 14 studies , found that green tea intake lowers fasting serum total and LDL cholesterol in adults. Green tea isn't the only thing worth consuming to lower your cholesterol, there are also these 17 Foods That Lower Cholesterol.

Lose weight by drinking green tea with help from this extraordinary meal and fitness plan. The winner can boost your metabolism and speed up the release of fat from your cells. This is the closest thing we have to a miracle weight-loss supplement.

By Christina Stiehl. Read This Next.