Subscribe Feed (RSS)Green tea supplements are becoming an increasingly popular option for folks who want to find a natural, safe way to lose weight.
Green tea has a variety of positive health benefits, it can help bad breath, lower chloresterol, prevent cavities and has some anti-carcinogenic properties. The tea also has the remarkable property of being able to aid the body burn fat.
The tea is made of the leaves of a plant known as Camellia sinensis. Green tea originates in China, but the plant it is derived from can be grown in a variety of climes. For example, some green tea leaves are actually cultivated in Cornwall, U.K. Tea plants will actually grow into a tree if you leave them alone, but most cultivators of tea plants let them grow about waist high and the prune them.
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, green tea can help with weight loss because it increases fat oxidation and thermogenesis. Fat oxidation is basically the body’s way of breaking down fat and using it for energy. Fats get stored in large molecules and when fat oxidation occurs, these large molecules are broken down into smaller molecules that are then used to provide energy. The more fat oxidation taking place, the more fat gets burned.
Thermogenesis is energy the body uses for heat production that’s not connected to your resting metabolism or whatever physical activity we’re doing. Basically it’s the energy you burn even when you’re doing nothing. By increasing the rate of energy burn, green tea helps you lose weight because it’s fat, the cause of most unnecessary weight, that’s being burned.
If this wasn’t enough, green tea can also help suppress your appetite, making you want less food to eat. These properties make green tea nature’s own weight loss drug.
But while green tea is extremely helpful in stimulating weight loss, it can’t work alone. Your use of green tea must be accompanied by diet and exercise to achieve any tangible results. As much as we would like to assume that there’s some wonder supplement out there that can allow us to lose weight without any changes to our lifestyle, the fact is that all these supplements can really do is add some momentum behind what you’re already doing with diet and exercise.
Also, before taking any dietary supplement, you should consult with your health care provider to ensure that the supplement won’t have a negative interaction with any medication you may be taking. Green tea may cause side effects such as vomiting and diarrhea if taken in over large doses, so use it in moderation. You may also want to discuss green tea with a dietitian or weight loss consultant to ensure that it fits with any weight loss program you may be using.
Used correctly, and in conjunction with weight loss and a better diet, green tea supplements can be a powerful tool in your battle to lose weight.
