Summer holidays for many have looked very different this year, but people’s desire to lose weight has remained. When looking to lose weight, all the old mantra’s hold true, and eating less and moving more will often prevail. There is a supplement one can take to make the journey slightly easier, according to experts. Taking green tea extract could help you to lose weight. How?
Green tea extract is its concentrated form, with just one capsule containing the same amount of active ingredients as an average cup of green tea.
Similar to green tea, green tea extract is a great source of antioxidants.
These have been credited with a range of health benefits, from promoting heart, liver and brain health to improving your skin, reducing the risk of cancer and even aiding in weight loss.
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In a study published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, green tea and thermogenesis was investigated.
The study noted: “The thermogenic effect of tea is generally attributed to its caffeine content.
“We report here that a green tea extract stimulates brown adipose tissue thermogenesis to an extent which is much greater than can be attributed to its caffeine content.”
The study concluded that green tea extract, via its catechin-polyphenols and caffeine, is effective in stimulating thermogenesis which reduces the risk of obesity.
In another study, the efficacy of green tea extract in increasing 24-hour energy expenditure in men was analysed.
The study said: “We investigated whether a green tea extract, by virtue of its high content of caffeine and catechin polyphenols, could increase 24-h energy expenditure (EE) and fat oxidation in humans.
“Relative to placebo, treatment with the green tea extract resulted in a significant increase in 24-h EE and a significant decrease in 24-h RQ without any change in urinary nitrogen.”
The study concluded that green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se and may play a role in the control of body composition via sympathetic activation of thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both.
Green tea extract is rich in catechins, and it contains a decent amount of caffeine.
Interestingly, it seems that this combination of ingredients is responsible for its weight loss properties.
Both catechins and caffeine have been shown to assist in weight loss by regulating the hormones that can enhance thermogenesis.
Thermogenesis is the process by which your body burns calories to digest food and produce heat.
Green tea has been shown to boost this process by making your body more effective at burning calories, which can lead to weight loss.
Green tea is famed for its ability in enhanced fat oxidation, which leads to an overall reduction in body fat over time.
A 2009 review of all the human studies conducted with green tea came to the same conclusion.
It was estimated that people drinking green tea achieved a 1.3kg (2.9lbs) greater weight loss when compared to those taking placebo.
It’s important to speak with your GP before taking any new supplements for weight loss.
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