Hoping This Buffet Has Green Tea , Green Tea Significantly Reduces Fat Absorption, Aids Weight Control

Food scientists recently discovered that overweight mice who ate a green tea supplement along with a high-fat diet gained weight significantly slower than mice who ate the high-fat diet without a green tea supplement. (We’re sorry, but are we the only ones here who think green tea doesn’t taste good? Needless to say, we’re going to shut up about that now and start shoveling it into our gullets immediately.)

In the study, researchers fed two groups of mice the exact same high-fat diets, but supplemented one of the group’s diets with a compound found in most green teas, Epigallocatechin-3gallate (EGCG). The mice given the green tea supplement gained weight 45 percent more slowly than the control group. The green tea group also exhibited an increase in fecal lipids; while this is gross, yes, it’s also evidence that the green tea limited fat absorption.

Lead researcher Joshua Lambert highlights the study’s significance for new practices in curbing obesity: "There seems to be two prongs to this. First, EGCG reduces the ability to absorb fat and, second, it enhances the ability to use fat."

He also noted that the green tea’s weight loss power had nothing to do with suppressing appetite or making the mice want to eat less. "There's no difference in the amount of food the mice are eating," said Lambert. "The mice are essentially eating a milkshake, except one group is eating a milkshake with green tea." (Okay, okay, hold up. Number one, a guy with the name “Josh Lambert” who gets paid to dole out milkshakes sounds like the kind of scientist whose relationship status we want to look into. Number two, Coffee Bean’s Green Tea Ice Blendeds are starting to look hella good.)

Though a person would have to drink ten cups of green tea daily to match the mice’s EGCG intake, Lambert said other studies have shown that even a few cups of green tea may help with weight control. And, let’s be serious ladies, we’ll take any little help we can get.

Source: Penn State (2011). Green tea helps mice keep off extra pounds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004123824.htm

Share This Article:

Comments

EXPERT

Jacqueline Aizen commented (8/29/2012)

Green tea has been a staple beverage in multilple cultures for centuries. China for example has enjoyed this green elixer's potent health benefits for about 5,000 years. Unlike black tea, green tea doesn't undergo the oxidation process, which allows the tea leaves to retain their green color. To enjoy green tea's health benefits it is important to drink "real" green tea. Many commercial, bottled sweetened green tea beverages contain massive amounts of sugars, colors, or artificial sweeteners.; and minimal amounts of polyphenols. So the only green tea you are actually getting may be in the name on the bottle! I would caution against indulging in too much green tea ice cream or other green tea sweet treats as well. Green tea is teaditionally enjoyed without sugar so brew yourself a steaming cup and allow the warmth and antioxidants permeate you and your belly. Enjoy!

EXPERT

Jim Vigue commented (9/10/2012)

Since it is sometimes difficult to have ten cups of tea a day I would recommend a good green tea extract with at least 500-750 mg. You take one capsule in the morning and get the equivalent of 8-10 cups of green tea.