Sunday, August 26, 2007

Green Tea for Weight Loss

You may have heard about green tea and its many positive effects on health. What about Weight Loss then? Can Green Tea help you with weight loss?

Green tea is a powerhouse of health benefits. It has been attributed with the potential to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and heart diseases. Now many experts believe that green tea may be the answer to weight loss woes. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that green tea promotes weight loss.

Thirty five Japanese men participated in a controlled study, revealing encouraging results for dieters. Divided into two groups, one half of the men consumed a bottle of green tea, fortified with green tea extract, daily for three months. The second group consumed plain oolong tea. The green tea drinkers lost significantly more weight than the oolong group. As a bonus, their body fat and waist size also decreased.

How did green tea accomplish this feat? Surprisingly, it's not the caffeine. A unique substance, called catechins, found in green tea appears to be the power behind the slimming factor.

There seems to be a two step process. First, green tea increases your body heat. This in turn speeds up your metabolism. This makes you burn more calories! The good thing about Green tea is that you do not even need to drink gallons of it for positive results. Studies show that 4 cups of green tea per day is enough to speed up your metabolism.

This is not the only study confirming Green Tea's weight loss benefits. The results have been replicated in other research. The list of studies and positive results connecting green tea and weight loss is growing fast. Researchers at the University of Geneva in Switzerland found similar results in their clinical trials.

Remember though, green tea is not magic. It is just one tool in the battle against excess pounds. Healthy food choices, portion control, and regular exercise cannot be traded for a few cups of tea. Enjoying green tea, however, is a simple and effective way to speed the progress of a weight loss goal.