Dr. Ahmed
Green Tea Can Help You Lose Weight. Taking green tea before bedtime is said to increase your metabolic rate even during your sleep. This helps your body burn more fats. Of course, it should not contain sugar or other calories, otherwise, instead of losing weight, you’ll gain weight.
Green tea has only two calories and ZERO Fats. Combining with lemon ginger and honey, flax seeds, chia seeds, or cinnamon changes the composition and nutritional values.
Green tea has been believed as a natural detox and has been prized for its medicinal qualities for ages. Along with its ability to improve mental alertness, the beverage has also been linked to burning excess body fat and prevent from heart diseases and cancer.
Due to these facts, people are often drawn to supplements that contain green tea extracts, which are a prominent ingredient for weight loss and fat burning. According to the latest data from Nutrition Business Journal, customers spent $141 million on green tea supplements in 2020. Apart from water and tea, green tea is the most widely consumed beverage on the planet.
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Some studies have suggested a direct link between green tea and weight loss, although this research has limitations, such as study size and length. In a laboratory trial, 10 healthy males burnt an extra 63.5 to 200 calories in 24 hours after taking two green tea extract pills three times in one day. These minor increases may help people lose weight over time, but large research would need to look into the long-term health risks vs advantages.
So, in this article, we will discuss whether the scientific evidence support claims that green tea helps you lose or improves your general health?
Green Tea Can Help You Lose Weight, But How?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a miracle drug that can help you lose weight rapidly and easily. Shedding fat necessitates a careful balance of healthy nutrition, exercise, adequate sleep, and stress management. However, if you want to lose weight by drinking green tea, it will undoubtedly assist.
Some of the reasons why green tea can help you lose weight are:
Green Tea Contains Caffeine:
Caffeine is one of the chemicals found in green tea. Although green tea contains less amount of caffeine as compared to coffee (100–200 mg), it still has enough to cause a modest effect. It is a good stimulant that has been shown in multiple studies to aid fat burning and improve workout performance.
One study suggests that caffeine consumption has a lipolytic effect and increases lipid oxidation. In the results of this study, caffeine consumption led to a 13% increase in energy expenditure and increased lipid turnover. [Ref]
Green Tea Contains Antioxidants:
Green tea shines in terms of antioxidant concentration. Drinking a cup of green tea increases the number of antioxidants in your system. It is abundant in Catechins, a natural antioxidant substance. The most well-known of these antioxidants is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a metabolism-boosting chemical.
Although one cup of green tea can boost antioxidant levels, most research has focused on green tea extract, which is a concentrated source of catechins.
One study suggested that catechins or an epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-caffeine mixture had a positive effect on Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance. [Ref]
Green Tea Boosts your Metabolism:
The human body constantly burns calories. Even while sitting or sleeping, the body’s cells are completing millions of energy-intensive tasks. Green tea has been found to boost these activities.
Some studies suggest that consumption of green tea extracts can help you burn more calories even if you are not exercising. The study concludes that green tea extract plays role in controlling body composition by activating sympathetic thermogenesis and fatty acid oxidation.[Ref]
In a controlled trial that included 60 obese people, those who took green tea extract lost 3.3 kg and burnt 183 calories each day than those who did not.[Ref]
Despite the fact that the majority of these trials were short-term, some data suggests that the metabolism-boosting impact of green tea can last for a long time.
Other Health Benefits of Green Tea
Apart from weight loss, this herbal drink has many more health benefits.
Green Tea Regulates Blood Sugar Levels:
A rise in blood sugar can lead to weight gain; not only does it cause your body to store glucose as fat, but it can also cause unhealthy cravings and a decrease in energy.
Green tea, fortunately, may help to maintain balance. Green tea’s antioxidants, according to studies, reduce the overall quantity of carbs absorbed by your body after a meal, which improves sugar metabolism.
Taking green tea with lemon enhances its ability to maintain blood glucose, aids in digestion, and improve cardiovascular health.
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Green Tea Might Prevent You from Cancer:
Green tea is known for its cancer-fighting properties, which are attributed to catechins. These antioxidants can inhibit the action of chemicals known as free radicals, which can induce alterations in healthy cells that can lead to cancer.
One study suggests that tea catechins decrease the proliferation index of cancer cells and help in preventing oral, breast, and prostate cancers. [Ref]
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Green Tea is Good for Your Heart:
According to some evidence, green tea can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is a narrowing of the arteries that might result in a heart attack, chest pains, or stroke.
Studies suggest that green tea consumption reduces the levels of bad cholesterol and decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. [Ref]
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How Much Green Tea Should Be Consumed Daily?
Drinking 2 to 3 cups of green tea per day is enough to help you lose weight. It depends on everyone’s daily caffeine intake and their metabolism, the exact amount varies from person to person.
Green tea is generally thought to be safe. Caffeine should be used with caution in some situations, as large doses might cause issues for those who are at risk of heart disease or have high blood pressure.
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How To Prepare Green Tea?
Green tea comes in a variety of flavors, but there aren’t likely to be substantial distinctions in terms of weight reduction. Unprocessed green teas are likely to offer the highest nutritional value.
Because green tea is inherently calorie-free, drinking it unsweetened is the greatest way to lose weight. Adding milk or sugar to green tea adds calories and may counteract the fat- and calorie-burning effects of the tea.
So, you must prepare plain green tea with tea extracts and water. With the addition of lemon, mint leaves, and honey for enhancing flavor.
Are there any Health Risks associated with Green Tea?
Although it rarely causes any side effects and is generally safe even during pregnancy and breastfeeding, excessive consumption of green tea (more than 5cups per day) can cause liver problems and kidney stones.
High doses of green tea have been shown to reduce levels of blood and cause decreased effectiveness of beta-blockers used for hypertension and heart problems.
