How Green Tea Can Help Fight Obesity

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This article was last modified December 11th, 2022. by Yuki

An experiment done on mice in 2000 concluded that including green tea powder in the diet suppressed fatty accumulation and body weight increase. [1]

In this experiment, scientists gave mice diets containing 1, 2, and 4% green tea powder for 16 weeks. Especially the mice given 2% and 4% green tea powder in their diets showed significant effects of weight loss.

The anti-obesity effects are due to the combination of Catechin and Caffeine. [3] It's important to understand that Catechin and Caffeine have a synergistic effect in reducing obesity, and this combination naturally occurs in Japanese green tea.

There are also positive results from human-based research.

An experiment published in 2012 observed the results of green tea intake for 12 weeks. It decreased body weight, BMI, Body fat ratio, body fat mass, waist circumference, hip circumference, total fat area, visceral fat area, and subcutaneous fat area.

Notably, drinking 583 mg of catechins daily for the period resulted in an average of -16 square cm of total fat area. (This includes -10.3 square cm of Visceral fat area and -5.7 square cm of Subcutaneous fat area)

As you can see, different research results show the effectiveness of Green tea for weight loss.

The mechanisms of how green tea helps reduce obesity are also well-researched.
The green tea catechins in green tea suppress fat accumulation in the liver. It promotes the breakdown of fats in the liver as well.

A study concluded that the combination of catechins and Caffeine inhibited lipid synthesis, which is the creation of fat, and improved lipid metabolism, which is the breaking down of fats.
[5]

Of course, when it comes to obesity, revising the overall lifestyle is essential. But these researches suggest that drinking Japanese green tea can also help to improve obesity.

Catechins make up the astringency in green tea.

Although astringency is often lumped together with bitterness, these are two slightly different things caused by different nutrients in the tea. The bitterness comes from the tea's Caffeine rather than the catechins.

Rather than being a taste or a flavor, astringency is more of a feeling in the mouth. You feel the dry sensation on the tongue when you feel astringency. It gives it a pulling sensation on the tongue and, with the right amount of astringency, adds depth and substance to make the tea enjoyable.

When you feel the dry pulling sensation on your tongue, you can be assured you're absorbing tea catechins and their health benefits.

Japanese green tea has some of the highest levels of Catechins, so it's a great place to go for weight loss.

High-grade tea such as Matcha and Gyokuro will have lower amounts of Catechins. Instead, go for teas such as Tamaryokucha or Sencha to maximize Catechin intake.

They naturally contain Caffeine, which also has the synergetic effect of reducing weight.

Funmatsu-Ryokucha is also an option if you're looking for weight loss. Funmatsu-Ryokucha is the same as Sencha, just that it is ground into a powder form like a Matcha.
Since this is dissolved into water and taken directly, it can be one of the most efficient ways of absorbing tea's nutrients.

This type of tea, however, is very astringent. You need to enjoy the tea to continue it as a habit. So regular Sencha or Tamaryokucha may be a more realistic way of incorporating Catechins into your everyday life.

The preparation of the tea also matters.

Not all types of tea Catechins dissolve in cold water. EGCG, the most prominent Catechin in Japanese green tea, dissolves in water of 80 degrees Celsius and above.

To maximize the intake of Catechins from loose-leaf tea, you can seep the tea in boiling water. The hotter the tea, the more astringent it will become, so remember to reduce the temperature if you feel it is too astringent.

More than anything, continuing as a daily habit is the most important.