The topics of weight loss and boosting the organism’s metabolic processes involve multiple myths about questionable eating and physical activity patterns widely believed to increase metabolic rates in overweight or obese individuals. Apart from questionable practices, such as fasting or cutting one’s caloric consumption drastically, there are methods backed up with scientific evidence. Drinking high-quality green tea daily is among such evidence-based recommendations. The method involves using green tea, preferably without sugar or sweeteners, as a daily beverage and does not necessarily require drastic changes to the diet.
Based on current research, green tea can produce a variety of effects conducive to improved systemic metabolism and BMI normalization. Specifically, in rodent research, caffeine and catechins that green tea contains have been shown to reduce lipid accumulation (Dinh et al., 2019). The product’s other effects include the ability to interrupt the emulsification of lipids, causing reductions in adipocyte differentiation, and stimulating thermogenesis (Dinh et al., 2019). Also, as per preliminary evidence, green tea catechins administered through the peritoneum decrease obese rats’ food intake by up to 60% (Dinh et al., 2019).
This suggests that green tea might also be beneficial as an appetite suppressant for those trying to lose weight. In human surveys, it has been found that drinking tea regularly for more than ten years is associated with losing about 19% of fat mass and a 2% reduction in waist-to-hip ratios (Dinh et al., 2019). Thus, there is abundant evidence to suggest green tea’s benefits. On a final note, excessive consumption of green tea can still involve certain health risks and should be avoided. Because of caffeine contents and tea’s effects on the bioavailability of iron, excess green tea intake might result in iron deficiency or anemia or cause headaches, anxiety, or sleep problems (Assunção et al., 2021). With that in mind, just like with any other product, taking one’s current weight status, individual reactions, used medications, and health history to choose the right dose of green tea is important.
References
Assunção, R., Twarużek, M., Kosicki, R., Viegas, C., & Viegas, S. (2021). Drinking green tea. Toxins, 13(2), 1-11. Web.
Dinh, T. C., Phuong, T. N. T., Thuc, V. T. M., Bac, N. D., Van Tien, N., Show, P. L., Pham, V. H., Tao, Y., Ngoc, V. T. N., Ngoc, N. T. B., Jurgonski, A., Govinda Raj, D. B. T., Tu, P. V., Ha, V. H., Czarzasta, J., & Chu, D. T. (2019). The effects of green tea on lipid metabolism and its potential applications for obesity and related metabolic disorders – An existing update. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 13(2), 1667-1673. Web.