Green Tea

What is green tea?

Camallia sinensis

Green tea is fresh

The whole world is drinking it

Tea is the most popular drink in the world in terms of consumption.

China, India, and Kenya are the 3 major producers (10)

Russia, the UK, The United Arab Emirates, and the USA are the biggest importers of tea. (11)

So what does green tea DO?

A lot, apparently!

Really? Just tea?

Well, maybe!

Certain properties of green tea could aid in weight loss.

However, few studies look at green tea and weight loss in the long-term

How does one lose weight?

Reduced caloric intake +  enjoyable physical exercise  = the body tapping into its fat reserves for fuel.

Calories consumed < Calories burned

Reduce calorie consumption by 15% at most

More lean body tissue = higher metabolic rate

Metabolic rate: Calories spent purely on body maintenance

Make more lean tissue through strength training!²

Where does tea fit into all of this?

Green tea has been shown to provide a modest boost to metabolism³.

Dulloo, et. all

A Swiss research team found that 270 mg of green tea extract (50mg caffeine, 90mg EGCG) 3X a day alone with no exercise increased metabolic rate by the equivalent of about 79 calories/day on average

Maki, et. all.

In another study, participants who drank green tea and engaged in ≥180 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise for 12 weeks saw a greater reduction in subcutaneous abdominal fat and lower levels of serum triglycerides compared to participants exercising and not drinking green tea 

What’s the secret?
Antioxidants!

Catechins

EGCG is the most abundant.

Shown to stimulate the body to burn fat

EGCG
Bose, et. all.

Mice receiving the EGCG experienced reduced body weight gain, liver weight, blood glucose levels, percent body fat, liver triglycerides, and cholesterol levels

Another short-term study showed that mice given EGCG appeared to not only have less fat absorption, but experienced a reversal of symptoms associated with metabolic syndrome (6)

The big connection

“Oxidative stress” theory

“Free radicals”

Radicals are believed to be involved in degenerative diseases, cancers, and endothelial disruptions that lead to diabetes and obesity.

Antioxidants terminate oxidation by being oxidized themselves, and inhibiting other oxidation reactions, including reactions that liberate fat from the diet into the bloodstream

Well that’s nice

But does it “work?”

Will green tea make me lose weight?

You have an ally in green tea

Green tea gives you a 75 kcal/day boost.

75 kcal/day = 1 lb of fat loss every 44 days

Lose 8 -9 lbs / year on tea alone!

Too much?

Too much tea has health consequences

Caffeine

Green tea contains 20%-60% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee

Caffeine in excess can produce heart palpitations, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, heartburn, and peptic ulcers among other things.

Green tea and Pregnancy

EGCH can inhibit an enzyme called dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) (9)

Also known as vitamin B12 or folic acid

Can induce folic acid deficiency, causing abnormal neural tube development.

When the neural tube of an embryo fails to close completely, spina bifida may result

Pregnancy and Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant and a diuretic.

Because caffeine is a stimulant, it increases your blood pressure and heart rate, both of which are not recommended during pregnancy.

Caffeine also increases the frequency of urination. This causes reduction in your body fluid levels and can lead to dehydration.

Everything in moderation

Be realistic about fitness goals

Drink tea for the antioxidants and health benefits

Green tea can:

Reduce triglyceride levels

Reduce glucose levels

Reduce abdominal fat content (6)

Group Endorsement?

Angela: “I drink green tea all the time.”

Rebecca: “Drink it. Love it.”

Brandon: “SLAM IT.”

Phu: “Living proof.”

Zachary: “It works.”

Where can I get tea?

Washington Tea Rooms

REFERENCES

1.Adcocks, C. (2002). Catechins from green tea (camellia sinensis) inhibit bovine and human cartilage proteoglycan and type ii collagen degradation in vitro. The Journal of Nutrition, 132(3), Retrieved from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/3/341.full

2.Bean, A. et. all. (2004). The complete guide to sports nutrition. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press.

3.Dulloo, A. (1999). Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70(6), Retrieved from http://www.ajcn.org/content/70/6/1040.full

4.Dulloo, A. (1999). Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70(6), Retrieved from http://www.ajcn.org/content/70/6/1040.full

5.Maki, K.C., et. all. (2008). Green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced abdominal fat loss in overweight and obese adults. The Journal of Nutrition, 139(2), Retrieved from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/139/2/264.abstract doi: 10.3945

6.Bose, M. et. all. (2008). The major green tea polyphenol, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, inhibits obesity, metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver disease in high-fat–fed mice. The Journal of Nutrition, 138(9), Retrieved from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/9/1677.full

7.Perticone, F. (2001). Obesity and body fat distribution induce endothelial dysfunction by oxidative stress . Diabetes, 50(1), Retrieved from http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/50/1/159.full doi: 10.2337

8.Evaluation of Caffeine Safety, a scientific status summary by the Institute of Food Technologists’ Expert Panel on Food Safety and Nutrition, 1987. Food Technology, Institute of Food Technologists, Chicago, 41(6):105-113.June 1987 Retrieved from http://www.ico.org/caffeine.asp

9.Navarro-Perán, E. (2005). The antifolate activity of tea catechins. Cancer Research, 65(18), Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15781612

10.^ “CURRENT SITUATION AND MEDIUM-TERM OUTLOOK”. INTERGOVERNMENTAL GROUP ON TEA, UN Food and Agriculture Organization. May 2008. p. 9. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/Meeting/013/K2054e.pdf.

11.FAOSTAT: http://faostat.fao.org/site/342/default.aspx

Group members

Angela

Rebecca

Brandon

Phu

Zachary

…