Green Tea Weight Loss and A Great Deal More
Green tea weight loss is attributed to polyphenols, in particular the catechins that make up almost a third of the dry weight of these leaves. The level of catechins is higher in green tea because it is processed differently than black tea. Rather than being fermented, it is steamed and therefore more polyphenols are preserved. Scientific research has led to more than fifteen hundred articles being published in important journals within the past five years.
Prior to these discoveries, green tea has been used for thousands of years, in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine, as a diuretic, astringent and stimulant, as well as to improve heart health, mental acuity, aid digestion and regulate blood pressure.
Green tea weight loss is achieved because catechins influence the metabolism in many different ways:
Green tea weight loss is promoted by inceased thermogenesis, according to recent research and it is thought that polyphenols work synergistically with caffeine, to increase the metabolic rate in your body. This means you burn calories faster. This is ideal when dieting, as in order to lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume.
It has been demonstrated that green tea weight loss is achieved because it inhibits fat absorption and digestion, by inhibiting the lipase enzymes in the pancreas and stomach. It has also been established that drinking green tea, or taking a green tea supplement, with a fatty meal, can assist in removing fat from your body.
Green tea weight loss may also be achieved because it increases the oxidation, that is the breakdown of fats, in your body.
Green tea weight loss is not the only benefit, as catechins scavenge free radicals to reduce inflammation and restore cells to health. Therefore drinking a cup of green tea before your exercise regime, quickly floods your blood with flavonoids, which gives you an antioxidant boost, and will prepare your body to cope with the free radicals generated by exercise.
