It may be effective because it helps to regulate glucose levels.
A few cups of green tea each day is linked to weight loss, research finds.
Four cups of green tea was linked to 5.5 pounds of weight loss in eight weeks by one study.
Even two cups per day can be enough to shed a few pounds.
People lose weight drinking green tea in these studies without making other changes to their diet or exercise.
Restricting calories and/or adding more exercise will help to boost weight loss even more.
Green tea may be effective because it helps to regulate glucose levels.
The active ingredient is a type of flavonoid called gallated catechins, also known as EGCG.
Green tea can also help slow down weight gain, researchers have found.
One recent study on mice being fed a high-fat diet also gave them 2 percent green tea.
The results showed they put on 20 percent less weight in comparison to those not fed the green tea extract.
Professor Richard Bruno, study co-author, said:
“This study provides evidence that green tea encourages the growth of good gut bacteria, and that leads to a series of benefits that significantly lower the risk of obesity.”
The mice given the green tea extract also had better gut health and lower insulin resistance.
Professor Bruno said:
“The results of studies looking at obesity management so far have been a real mixed bag.
Some seem to support green tea for weight loss, but a lot of other research has shown no effect, likely due to the complexity of the diet relative to a number of lifestyle factors.”
Drinking green tea could help people lose weight, said Professor Bruno said:
“Two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, and we know that just telling people to eat less and exercise more isn’t working.
It’s important to establish complementary health-promoting approaches that can prevent obesity and related problems,”
The study was published in the The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry (Chung et al., 2019).
