Green Tea For Weight Control And Maintenance
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At any given time, over 40% of women report being on a diet to
lose weight. Many people are constantly looking for ways to
become slimmer and healthier. And, while most of us now realize
that there are no magic bullets, it's nice to know the little
tricks that can help improve our success at losing weight and
keeping it off.
One study reported by the UK Tea Council examined the effects
of caffeine and green tea on weight loss and maintenance to see
if either substance could provide benefit in losing weight and
keeping it off.
The study evaluated 76 people who were either overweight or
moderately obese. During the study, participants were placed on
a very low calorie diet for a period of four weeks, after which
they were placed on a weight maintenance program for three
months. Some of the participants consumed caffeine and some did
not.
During the weight loss period, the subjects lost an average of
5.9kg. Those who consumed caffeine lost more weight than those
who did not. They also reduced their fat mass and waist
circumference more than those who did not consume caffeine.
During the weight maintenance period, all of the subjects
received either a green tea/caffeine supplement or a placebo.
They were instructed to continue their normal caffeine
consumption.
During the weight maintenance phase, subjects who took the
green tea/caffeine supplement continued to lose weight, even if
the only caffeine they consumed was in the form of the
supplement. Those who were high caffeine consumers did not see a
significant effect from the green tea/caffeine supplement over
what they were already experiencing from their caffeine intake.
This study showed using green tea can be an effective way to
help you lose weight, even without additional caffeine
consumption. This is important news for those who wish to lose
weight, but have difficulty with caffeine. Because green tea is
much lower in caffeine content than most other caffeinated
beverages, it is better tolerated than many other forms of
caffeine. For those who do tolerate caffeine well, nearly any
caffeinated beverage seems to help you lose weight.
We have just begun to learn the health benefits of green tea,
and more research is needed before we can have irrefutable
evidence of exactly what benefits it provides and how. But, in
the meantime, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests
that green tea offers many benefits both in the area of weight
control and other health issues.
In other studies, green tea has been shown to regulate blood
sugar naturally, which could be of significant value in the
fight against obesity and diabetes. Those whose blood sugar is
out of control often have trouble losing weight and are often
pre-diabetic, meaning that their blood sugar numbers are high,
but not high enough to be classified as diabetic. If green tea
can help regulate blood sugar, it may help those who are
overweight and those who are pre-diabetic get their blood sugar
numbers under control without medication.
Green tea also has been shown to reduce the risk of
cardiovascular disease, another illness that often plagues those
who struggle with their weight. It appears that green tea
reduces the health problems associated with a high level of LDL
cholesterol, one of the most significant factors in heart
disease.
LDL cholesterol is the "bad" cholesterol that turns into plaque
and sticks to our arteries, causing narrowed arteries. Narrow
arteries mean restricted blood flow, which increases the risk of
heart attack and stroke.
Green tea appears to prevent the LDL cholesterol from
hardening; the process that causes it to stick to harden and
stick arterial walls. If the LDL cholesterol cannot harden and
stick to the arterial walls, then it does not pose the threat
that it normally would.
Another important possibility that green tea may offer is the
ability to prevent some forms of cancer. This also is good news
for those struggling with their weight, as the overweight are at
a higher risk of many forms of cancer than those who maintain a
normal weight. Green tea has been shown to reduce the risk of
breast, prostate, digestive system, lung and pancreatic cancers.
We know that, in particular, the overweight are at a higher risk
for breast and digestive system cancers.
If you're struggling with your weight, there's no substitute
for a healthy diet and regular exercise. Only consistent effort
to eat a healthy, low fat and high fiber diet along with an
exercise routine you can stick with will provide long term
success in maintaining a healthy weight. However, understanding
the tips and tricks that can speed your metabolism and burn more
fat can help you reach your weight loss goals more easily and
ensure that the excess weight is gone for good.
About the Author
Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon
Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and wu
long tea go to http://www.goldenmo
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