By Simon J. Evans, PhD

The benefits of green tea have received a lot of press lately. Several studies have shown that green tea drinkers perform well in several measures of health, including some of those relative to brain fitness. But can green tea also help you lose weight? Researchers asked that question recently and found some interesting results.

A study published in a recent edition of the Journal of Nutrition, evaluated exercise-induced weight loss in 132 overweight and obese adults who also drank green tea extracts during their weight loss regime. All adults in this study participated in exercise programs and half were given a caffeinated beverage with green tea extracts (catechins, pronounced kat-i-kins) while the other half drank equal amounts of a caffeinated beverage without the green tea.

All participants in the study lost weight due to the exercise program, however those drinking the green tea extract containing catechins lost a little more. The interesting thing about this is that the fat lost by the green tea extract drinkers was specifically belly-fat. Other areas of fat loss were fairly even between the two groups.

Why is this important? Recent research has discovered that belly fat is particularly bad for your health. Excess belly fat releases hormones that have all kinds of negative effects, including reducing sensitivity to insulin, which is a major problem. Insulin sensitivity controls many aspects of brain and body health, including risk for diabetes, and maybe even depression and late-life dementia.

So it’s very cool that the catechins found in green tea helped folks in this study lose more belly fat in response to their exercise programs since it will probably feedback on many other systems in their bodies to improve their health. In fact, those in the green tea group showed better improvement in measures of triglycerides and total cholesterol as well.

Some societies have known about the health benefits of green tea for centuries and use it as a regular part of their diet. Western science is really just catching up to explain why this beverage is a powerful component of your overall approach to health. And the best part is there are no real side-effects, as long as you don’t overdo it. Remember, it is a caffeinated beverage so still should be drunk in moderation.

If you’re a regular coffee or black tea drinker, consider replacing an occasional cup with some green tea instead. Coffee and black tea themselves have been shown to have some health benefit, when used in moderate amounts of a cup or two per day, but green-tea seems to beat them both for overall health. As in any health plan, the enjoyment factor is huge, so don’t try to adopt strategies that you really don’t like. But if you’re not a regular green tea drinker, why not try a cup or two to see how you feel.

Before signing off of this particular article, it must be pointed out that everyone in this study was exercising, and green tea just made the exercise a bit more effective. You’re not likely to lose that body fat with green tea alone, you still have to move.

Reference:
Journal of Nutrition (2009) 139:264-270

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