Research regarding Green tea effects on weight loss – The significance of Green Tea on Weight Loss

by on December 30, 2011

Scientific Research

Western scientists began research into the benefits of green tea only in the 1980′s. Before the time it was clear that Asians were already in the knowing about its benefits. The truth about scientific research is that it takes a long time to come to a reliable conclusion. Sometimes the whole process hits a wall and gets stalled. In addition, even after the whole process has been Okayed, there still need to be certain amount of follow up for perfection to be reached. All these and many more can eat into many years, and that is why western scientific measure sees research into green tea as still in the babyhood stage.

A study at The University of Geneva

It was until 1999 that green tea as a possible source of weight loss began to generate a lot of interest. The first instance was in an article published by the American society for Clinical Nutrition in 1999. Although the consumption of tea dates back to centuries, little was known about its health benefits to human. It was a team of scientists at the University of Geneva who later took the bold step to study the effects of plant ingredients on weight loss. They wanted to know if the caffeine and catechin polyvphenels contents, which are natural compounds of green tea, can result into the burning of fat and general metabolism of the body. It is important we take a look at how the research was conducted since the Geneva study marked the beginning of interests on the benefits of green tea on human health.

To begin with, scientific researches initiated ten men who were fit and classified either as mildly obese (having 8-30% of body fat) or lean into the study. They exempted smokers, athletes, and those with some weight loss history. The researchers only included men who were given to some western diet that contributes fat (35 -40%). They also had to take note of the physical make-up of each participant, including their weight, height and the fat content of their body.

Each of these men spent a day in a respiratory chamber on three distinct occasions. In addition, they were designated these three treatments randomly;

1) 2 capsules of extracts of green tea that contained 90 miligrams of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and 50 miligrams of caffeine. EGCG is known to be a strong antioxidant present in tea leaves and other elements naturally occurring in green tea;

2) two capsules that were filled with cellulose as a form of placebo (having no effect on the body); or

3) Two capsules containing 50 miligrams of caffeine (with no additional ingredients in it).

Each man had identical intake in terms of calories for every diet, which were also classified as weight-maintenance. Details of the energy content in their food are as follows; 40% fat, 13% protein and 47% of carbohydrate. There was no allowance for any other meal with caffeine content for one day before or during their respiratory chamber session. They were only allowed to listen to radio programs or watch TV anytime in the respiratory chamber. They each had three separate 24 hours periods of tests over the span of 5-6 weeks, within which they were not also allowed to exercise.

Result of Research

By the help of urinary and respiratory testing on the men, it was discovered that there was a 4% increase in their expenditure of energy in one day. In addition, although caffeine affects human metabolism, the case was not so with these men. It could be that the dosage given them was just not right enough to induce metabolism. The men who used the capsules took a total of 100 rug of caffeine for each meal, which is less than that in an average cup of brewed coffee. In essence, though caffeine was contained in the capsules of the green tea it had no hand on the increased metabolic effect. What the scientists concluded on was that the marriage of the contents of green tea and the caffeine brought about the fat burning and metabolism. However, what is yet to be discovered is whether decaffeinated green tea would possess that much effect toward causing fat oxidation and metabolism.

The great find of this scientific research was that the men who were administered capsules containing extracts of green tea and caffeine never had issues of increased heart rate. This means that the process is a far safer measure for weight loss than alternative drugs. This is much important when it comes to people who are having cardiovascular challenges or high blood pressure.
In a nutshell, the men who took the capsules burned up to 80 or more calories in less than 2 hours without even exercising or changing their day-to-day diet.

Other Studies into the Subject

A separate study that was revealed online in the January 2005 edition of the American Journal of Physiology: Integrative, regulatory and comparative Physiology disclosed that mice that was made to consume over a period of ten weeks extract of green tea displayed heightened exercise endurance of 8-24% more than another mice that was not given the extract, although allowed to exercise. They also discovered that the mice that took the green tea extract burned fat perfectly well. In addition, they also found out that caffeine did not play any role in increasing the amount of endurance during exercise or the burning of fat. They discovered that after reducing the amount of caffeine in the extract during the experiment.

The scientists who did the research found out that catechin epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is an antioxidant found in green tea, resulted in improvement in endurance, although insignificantly. This result shows that the other catechins in green tea were also necessary during the experiment with those ten men.

Just a single dose was not enough to affect increase metabolism. This only shows that it would take a long-term usage of green tea to get good result as regards weight loss. It is worth noting that the research was carried out at the Biological Science Laboratories of Kao Corporation in Tochigi, Japan. They are makers of green tea beverages and other health care products. This does not translate to the results been twisted in a way. However, they are made bare in the interest of making the public understand better.

Another group of researchers also found out that green tea extracts never increased heart rates during the process of weight loss. Their finding was published in January, 2002, edition of the Phytomedicine Journal. In their research they had 70 volunteers on two green tea extract capsules on daily basis.The dosage contained 270 miligrams of EGCG- which is 30% more than what is acceptable. However, it never resulted into any side effects.

Results fetched after three months: Their body weight was reduced by an average of 4.6%, while the circumference of their waist decreased by 4.48%. There was another study by the Japanese on the effects of body fat reduction by Catechins. The test involved men of like size ( in terms of waist circumference, body mass index, and an indicator of fat) who were given different quantities of catechins. These men were divided into two teams with one being given 690 miligrams of catechins, while the other team was given 22 miligrams of catechins. During the 12 weeks of testing, all the men were allowed similar diets on the overall by taking identical breakfasts and dinners. They were also asked to put a check on their on their intake of fat and calorie at other times so as to foster similar dieting. The result of the test was that men who were given more catechin quantity showed more reduction in waist circumference, body mass index and body weight. The ratio between both groups was a bit close to the ratio 2:1, with those who were given more losing more weight on the overall.

A Chinese test was also carried out on 75 persons who were suffering from obesity due to lack of exercise and overeating. The 75 persons were people within the age bracket of 22 and 69, and they were asked to take oolong tea for 6 weeks, twice each day. Also, they were asked not to engage on any form of exercise or dieting. They were just to continue with their normal meals while they keep taking oolong tea twice each day.

After the stipulated 6 weeks, result showed that they lost an average of 4mm of subcutaneous fat near their navels. The measurement was done using echograph sensors. The result went ahead to show that there was reduction in cholesterol level, serum and serum triglyceride within those six weeks. About 67% of the participants were said to have lost weight within the time of the research. It is worth noting that they had no guidelines for their diet, and there was nothing told about what they were eating within those weeks.

In a study carried out in Taiwan about the habit of tea drinking, 1,103 persons were analyzed for differences in fat and their ratios of waist-to-hip. The result showed that those who had been taking tea for over ten years had on average about 19.6% reduction in body fat and 2.1% smaller waist-to-hip rations than those who weren’t regular drinkers of tea. The conclusion was that tea could pass for a weight-loss beverage.

Remember I said that scientific study into tea as a source of weight-loss is still in its babyhood stage. More research is being conducted with results showing up on daily basis.

The efficiency of green tea in the reduction of body fat has also been shown by many other studies. However, a lot more research has been conducted into the benefits of tea on the cardiovascular, and its power to fight against diseases.

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More Suggestions on Weight Loss with green tea – Tips on losing weight with green tea

by on December 24, 2011

It is easier to forget taking too much food when they are not within eye range. However, it becomes difficult keeping with your resolve when you just walk past an open bag containing French fries. So you would want to let your folks know they should keep those bags far away so you do not get tempted to do contrary.

Fish is great, especially if not fried. When fish is fried there is a great alteration of the protective benefit that comes with it; that is the ratio of bad to good fats. The frying action has the tendency to promote blood clot formation in the long run. Doctors have advised that it is also important that pregnant women and nursing mothers steer clear canned tuna due to the presence of mercury. And we who aren’t in that category are advised to limit our intake of tuna salad to a maximum of 2 per week.

Sugar is same no matter whether from fruit juice or just the white kind. Talking about fruit juice, there is additional sugar with some of them. So it is far better that you eat an orange than taking an orange juice. This is because you would also be getting the well needed fiber, more quality vitamins and minerals. If you really want to have the feel of drinking juice, you can do so by hand-squeezing the juice out of the orange. You can also get the carton of juice that come with a lot of pulp. However, do dilute it with clean water with no added calorie. This is certainly lighter and will quench your thirst more.

Watch your portion sizes

The new Food Pyramid emphasizes portion control, and recent media attention has focused on the supersizing of restaurant portions. Remember, the calories listed on packages are per serving, and your idea of a serving may be very different from that of the manufacturer.

For example:

An ounce of bread is almost the size of an index card.

An ounce of cheese is same as the size of two dice.

An ounce of meat is almost same as the size of a deck of cards.

A serving of pasta is almost same size with a hockey puck

You can also use your hand to know portions. For instance, if you are a middle-sized woman, your hand has the following equalities:

The size of your thumb is almost equal to an ounce of tablespoon

Also, the tip of your thumb is same size with a teaspoon. And your palm region is almost the same size with a single 3-oz serving of poultry, fish or meat.

More Suggestions on Weight Loss

To get a more certain result start by measuring the weights of various food with relationship to the size of your hand. You can do so privately just in case you are caught gazing at the steam (check out chapter 3). Although your kids may see you as though going nuts it is better for you. Moreover, a serving of nut is just a handful.

If you think those portions are seriously small, I too think so. Another important angle is that of sizes of plates. Taking out my mom’s China (around 1950′s) I observed that plates for dinner were small. They really made me think they were salad plates, though. Also, the same was the case with the dinner plates of my mother-in-law, of which hers were about eight inches in diameter. However, I was Okayed by the announcement of a nutritionist over the radio that dinner plates have started becoming bigger within the last few decades. They left 8 inches for 10, and now the average you can find is around 11 inches if not more. Such a dinner plate size would hold a lot of food for you. You can do well to start putting your prescribed portion of food on smaller plates.

Give it some Spice

It has been discovered that foods like mustards, cayenne, jalapeno and other spicy peppers speed the rate of metabolism due to the fact that they contain capsaicin. As a matter of fact, if you think you can handle the heat effect try to spice up your meals.

Keep Advancing

It could be a good thing that you lost the remote control for your television. It could also be the same when you find yourself moving uncontrollably in a board meeting. This is true with respect to a research run on 20 different individuals by The Mayo Clinic. Ten of them were obese, while the other ten were lean. And all made it clear that they were couch potatoes, too. The clinic planted sensors in specially made underwear so that scientists would be able to measure the movements the ten men and ten women make for every half second within those 10 days. In a nutshell, they were trying to take measurement of their activities when not exercising, which is also called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). This simply means that the scientists measured all their movements. The result showed that the lean ones naturally have inkling toward making movements always, even after they must have put on more weight, while those obese would rather sit quietly even after losing some weight. It was revealed that these differences in their movements (for example, walking, fidgeting and standing) all made for the addition of 350 calories each day.

So you now see why forgetting where you dropped your TV remote could be a blessing? So stand up and look for it to enable you make some movement and keep your weight within limits. Better still, why not stand up and change the channel manually. You can also play the piano than just sitting down or go shopping than watching another round of TV shows. You can also try as much as you can to put your home printer far from where you have your computed. SO when you print you must have to make some movement before getting the document. Just find a way of making movements if you are one with a high propensity to sit still always.

If 350 calories are known to be added daily for sitting down always, try adding that for a whole year. You can get more information about the Mayo Clinic research from their website, www.mayoclinic.org/spotlight/fidget-low-metablolism.html, or the January 29, 2005 issue of Science Magazine.

Get adequate sleeping time

Although a lot had already been said concerning having enough sleep, it is still important to draw your attention again around same topic as lack of sleep does pose a serious problem if you are at the menopause stage or you have little kids. Sometimes the reason of not having enough sleep borders around watching TV or stress. There are also many other reasons too. However, we fail to have enough sleep we tend to make-up energy by taking lots of food. So check on yourself right away. Is it wise that you let a TV series or blockbusters make you put on more weight? Researchers have also revealed that an ingredient called Lrheanine found in tea do help promote relaxation. So you can start drinking white tea just in case you face troubles having enough sleep. White tea does contain the least amount of caffeine so you are okay with it. It certainly would be of immense help than getting an over-the-counter sleeping pill to do the work.

Get enough sleep

There’s been a lot written lately about sleep and weight loss. Lack of sleep can be a serious problem that is not always easily solved, especially if you have small children or you’re going through menopause. Often, though, we’re sleep deprived because of television, stress, or any numbers of reasons that are more-or-less within our control, Studies have shown that when we don’t get enough sleep we try to find energy in food. So have a talk with yourself. Is that rerun of Law and Order really worth the calories you might be putting on the next day?
Some research has shown Lrheanine (which is abundant in tea) promotes relaxation. If you’re having trouble getting to sleep, try drinking white tea (it has the least caffeine). It may help more than an over-the-counter sleeping pill and is safer.

Take Enough of Water

I am also trying to put this into daily practice- that is taking lots of water. In a book titled; “French Women Don’t get Fat”, by Mereille Guiliano, the author made it clear that French women take a lot of water than American women do. She made it clear that although our bodies loose water from the known ways, they also do so even during the breathing process, sleeping, and sweating. She advised that we constantly replace the amount of water lost by starting with a glass of water once we wake up in the morning.

I always get the better feeling each day I wake up having taken enough water the previous one. It is also important you take a lot of water if you like drinking mostly black tea. Black tea promotes the formation of urine, which in turn makes your body lose water more easily. It is advisable to go with green tea as it contains lesser amount of caffeine, which will result into having far less urine formation and overall loss of body water. The simple rule is that the more caffeine contents the more the possibility of loss of body water.

In her book, Guiliano shows that we most times make the mistake of misinterpreting thirst to be hunger. Quite alright that fruits and veggies do supply some water; however, there is nothing to get out of a Snickers bar. So, next time you get a feeling of hunger, start by taking some water.

Lastly, it is important you incorporate green tea into your healthy routine.

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China Green Tea review – Chinese green tea review

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