Can green tea help you lose weight? There have been conflicting studies about this theory in the past. A study published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition re-examined the effects of Green Tea Catechins (GTC) on body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to hip ratio. This study was a systematic review, compiling the results if 15 independent studies, and over 1200 people.
Green tea catechins are antioxidant compounds found in green tea. The researchers compared GTC's with caffeine, GTC's without caffeine, and caffeine alone. The results found that GTC's with caffeine decreased BMI, waist circumference, and bodyweight, but not waist-to-hip ratio when compared to caffeine alone, or caffeine-free GTC's, and the control group.
What does this mean?
It looks like green tea catechins, when taken with caffeine, can have a positive effect on body weight, BMI and waist circumference. However, researchers admit this benefit is modest at best, and as 15 different studies were involved, it's unclear just how much GTC would have to be taken to see this modest effect.
However, in long run, switching your morning coffee for a hot cup of green tea could help to battle the bulge. GTC's have also been linked to other health benefits. Read more about Green tea here .
Read this study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition here .
Can green tea help you lose weight? There have been conflicting studies about this theory in the past. A study published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition re-examined the effects of Green Tea Catechins (GTC) on body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to hip ratio. This study was a systematic review, compiling the results if 15 independent studies, and over 1200 people.