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totalhealth’s Special Report
Obesity, Weight Loss and Glucose Control
Green Tea Extract
by totalhealth editors
 Green tea is beneficial for the mind and
body and can speed up fat loss. Tea is rich
in flavonoids called catechins, which are
well absorbed by the body compared to
other flavonoids. Catechins are powerful
antioxidants and have been shown to
inhibit certain cancers, improve blood flow
in the cardiovascular system and reduce
LDL cholesterol oxidation.
In addition, recent research has shown
the catechins in green tea to be thermogenic.
Thus green tea extract may also
help dieters shed fat, according to
research in the December 1999 issue of
the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
This is the first human study to examine
the influence of tea on energy expenditure
and body composition. Green tea may be
particularly useful for heart disease
patients who are trying to lose weight,
because unlike weight-loss drugs, it does
not affect the heart rate. Catechin
polyphenol compounds work with other
chemicals to increase levels of fat oxidation
and thermogenesis, thereby helping
the body burn fuels such as fat.
If the fat-burning effect of green tea
doesn't excite you, here are some other
benefits. Green tea can lower serum glucose
levels by inhibiting the activity of the
starch-digesting enzyme amylase, so that
starch is absorbed more slowly (insulin
levels also decrease). Green tea has been
shown to lower intestinal fat absorption,
as well. Diphenylamine, a compound in
green tea, seems to have a strong sugarlowering
action as well. New research
shows that green tea catechins produce
one of the strongest vasodilating
responses, thus allowing for increased
blood flow. An increase in peripheral circulation
is valuable for increased oxygenation
and, therefore, increased energy
production. If all this is not enough, green
tea also has the ability to raise levels of
serotonin and/or dopamine in the brain,
which control both the appetite and
satiety response. Why not just drink green
tea? Because standardized extracts of
green tea have more of the active compounds
than brewed tea alone can offer.
A recommended daily dose is 300 to 400
mg of green tea extract, standardized for
50 percent or more catechins, with a
majority being one particular catechin
called EGCG.
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