Tea: Not Just a Beverage, but a Way of Life: Healthy Weight Support with Green Tea

There is significant evidence demonstrating far-ranging health benefits of regular consumption of green tea, including its significant potential to help aid weight loss efforts and prevent weight-related diseases. One of green tea's main constituents, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (“EGCG”), is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and also happens to be associated with weight loss. 

Both the catechins in green tea and its natural caffeine content can promote thermogenesis, burn calories, and increase fat oxidation. 

There is an inverse relationship between green tea consumption and fatness and green tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of developing diabetes. 

Green tea not only increases energy expenditure (the “calories out” half of the weight balance equation) but also promotes calorie expenditure, noticeably, primarily fat burning. Studies have shown green tea consumption to positively significantly impact body weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, and total cholesterol. Green tea appears to beneficially impact glucose metabolism. 

Green tea’s potent potential anti-obesity effects appear to come from a confluence of mechanisms, including its positive impact on fat-burning brown adipose tissue. The constituents in green tea have been shown effective in reducing food intake and increasing energy expenditure via thermogenesis. 

Green tea preferentially stimulates lipolysis (fat burning) of abdominal fat deposits and can be useful in trying to lose belly fat, the more stubborn, dangerous type of fat. Green tea also beneficially increases fat-burning in the liver.

Green tea may also help prevent stress-induced weight gain with its ability to increase stress resilience via its L-theanine constituent. It also has calming properties via its ability to increase levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid. L-theanine increases relaxing alpha brain waves, similar to the effects of meditation, as well as levels of our “feel good” dopamine neurotransmitter. 

Green tea helps counter harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun (including reducing oxidative stress, risk of skin cancer, wrinkles, and pigmentation). I recommend getting regular sun exposure for synthesis of vitamin D, deficiencies of which are strongly associated with obesity and chronic inflammation. I get my vitamin D via regular sun exposure and drink green tea because of its potent antioxidants. 

If you’re interested in learning more evidence-based tips for a healthy weight, you can read more about it in my book, “Eat the Cupcake, not the Cake.” Available @ https://amzn.to/3Pqa4Tm

I love Yogi tea, available @ https://amzn.to/43X2bcB

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