Does Green Tea Really Work?

By Author: Tony Schwartz
Total Articles: 39
Comment this article

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion regarding the many health benefits of green tea. A good deal of the recent discussion has focused on taking green tea supplements to lose weight. There are a lot of claims that this compound is quite effective in assisting with weight loss, due to its naturally occurring chemicals.

Green tea, (scientific name Camellia Sinensis), is a plant that was originally native to parts of East Asia. Today, however, green tea is cultivated in many different continents of the world, and is consumed by people for many different purposes. People of India and China have long used green tea as way to regulate blood sugar, as a diuretic, and to help heal wounds. Green tea has also been used to help with digestion, and to control body temperature.

The main reason people consume green tea for weight loss is due to the naturally occurring components of the tea: EGCG and caffeine. EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) is an antioxidant that helps to increase fat burning in the body. Thermogenesis is a process that changes calories into body heat, which enables the body to use calories ...
... from the food you eat. Green tea is thought to increase this process, so calories are burned more rapidly, resulting in less fat accumulating in the body.

The second useful component of green tea is caffeine. Caffeine is also known to increase the process of thermogenesis. These two compounds then combine to help the body increase the metabolism to burn up an even higher number of calories.

There has also been a bit of research that suggests green tea may assist the body in stopping the absorption of fat contained in certain kinds of food. It may also help to regulate the appetite by regulating blood sugar levels as well. All of these benefits are said to work synergistically to promote weight loss.

Many say that you can gain the most benefits from green tea leaves by consuming it in pill form. These pills contain a concentrated form of the important compounds found in green tea, and can contain as much as 300-700 milligrams of EGCG. Many brands are available in stores, so read the packages carefully to ensure the pills actually contain a certified source of EGCG. While green tea itself is considered to be quite safe, you should always stick to the recommended dosage information.
Read more about weight loss in the article "4 Tips to Lose Weight" and learn the truth about Fat Burning Furnace.