Is There a Link Between Green Tea and Weight Loss?

People in China and Japan have enjoyed drinking green tea for thousands of years, not only as a beverage but to take advantage of all of its herbal healing benefits. Lately green tea has been discovered in the West and become more and more popular. Many research studies have been conducted to try to determine the health benefits of drinking green tea. The link between green tea and weight loss has been one of the areas of research that has been explored.

Studies have shown several connections between green tea and weight loss.  Drinking green tea helps to speed up one's metabolism which helps your body burn calories faster and more effectively and prevent calories from being stored as fat.  This is due to the caffeine and catechin which are active ingredients in the tea.  Green tea can also help to make you feel full and suppress your appetite.  Because green tea is calorie fee, drinking it instead of beverages full of calories can also help with losing weight.

In the 1990s research was conducted in Switzerland which showed that when overweight subjects took green tea supplements and ate normal diets they burned more calories than individuals not taking green diet pills.  The way green tea accomplishes this is to increase the body's metabolism rate.  This is also referred to as thermogenesis. 

There have also been research studies using laboratory mice which shows support that green tea does help with weight loss.  One study was done with mice that have an obesity gene.  Those who were given green tea extract did not gain as much weight or fat than the mice that were not given the green tea extract.

Another way in which green tea can help you to lose weight is due to the fact that it is a natural appetite suppressant and lets you brain know you're full after you've eaten which helps you to not over eat. You can also substitute high calorie beverages with green tea and save on consuming a lot of calories, which is a fairly easy way of losing weight.

There have been no studies to indicate the drinking green alone is sufficient for losing significant amounts of weight. Many health experts do suggest drinking four to six cups of green tea a day. This can help you burn up to seventy calories per day. Combined with eating a health diet and regular exercise, green tea can help with losing weight fast.