A recent study in Geneva showed that green tea is naturally packed with caffeine and compounds called "catechin polyphenols." This is of significant interest to those of us trying to reduce our weight because both of these substances have been documented to increase resting metabolic rate—or more simply stated, rev up our bodies' calorie-burning potential. You see, the caffeine found in green tea allows our bodies to use bodyfat for energy (that is, it's "lipolytic"). When stored calories are used for short-term energy, our bodies burn more fat. In fact, this study, performed on healthy men, showed green tea alone produced a four percent increase in energy burned over a placebo. The researchers concluded that green tea may be useful for speeding up fat burning and promoting our bodies' ability to burn more calories over an extended time.
How to take it
Most research suggests taking 300 to 600 mg per day of green tea with meals, which should contain up to 97% polyphenol concentrate. (This would be equal to drinking four cups of tea per day.)
Important Tip: When choosing a green tea, it is best to look for the measurement of polyphenols, which are believed to be responsible for green tea's benefits. Three cups of tea per day should provide around 240 to 300 mg of the polyphenols.
A recent study in Geneva showed that green tea is naturally packed with caffeine and compounds called "catechin polyphenols." This is of significant interest to those of us trying to reduce our weight because both of these substances have been documented to increase resting metabolic rate—or more simply stated, rev up our bodies' calorie-burning potential. You see, the caffeine found in green tea allows our bodies to use bodyfat for energy (that is, it's "lipolytic"). When stored calories are used for short-term energy, our bodies burn more fat. In fact, this study, performed on healthy men, showed green tea alone produced a four percent increase in energy burned over a placebo. The researchers concluded that green tea may be useful for speeding up fat burning and promoting our bodies' ability to burn more calories over an extended time.
How to take it
Most research suggests taking 300 to 600 mg per day of green tea with meals, which should contain up to 97% polyphenol concentrate. (This would be equal to drinking four cups of tea per day.)
Important Tip: When choosing a green tea, it is best to look for the measurement of polyphenols, which are believed to be responsible for green tea's benefits. Three cups of tea per day should provide around 240 to 300 mg of the polyphenols.