Informations ABOUT GREEN TEA...

Study on Green Tea and Weight Loss

2007-01-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

For many years now, several benefits are attributed to drinking green tea. Today, researchers have come up with newer proofs to solidify the belief that green tea can be used as a treatment for obesity and for weight loss.

It is held that more than half of the American population have weight problems or are obese. Conditions like these are almost always linked to certain complications like heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, gall bladder disease, and hypertension. Weight loss can aid in assuaging the symptoms of some of these conditions.

Scientists have tirelessly investigated on the weight loss benefits of green tea. They have found that green tea can actually enhance the total amount of energy spent by the body. From their findings, they were able to deduce that green tea has great potential for a weight loss benefit.

Other researches were able to confirm the weight loss benefit of green tea. A recent study at the University of Geneva had the conclusion that, “Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se.” Where before it was generally believed that the caffeine content in green tea is the reason for its weight loss benefit, this recent study deviated from that theory. Green tea has other substances in them that are helpful in weight loss.

The same team who conducted the study on green tea’s caffeine content and weight loss banded together in Switzerland to perform another experiment. They were still able to come up with the same results – that green tea has several thermogenic attributes that make it perfect to use in any weight loss program.

Sample Studies: Green Tea and Weight Loss
Green tea reduces body fat accretion caused by high-fat diet in rats through beta-adrenoceptor activation of thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue. Conducted by chief scientist J.J. Choo of the Department of Food and Nutrition, Kunsan National University, this study aimed to find out if green tea can suppress body fat and to find out whether this suppression is connected with thermogenesis spurred by the body’s beta-adrenoceptor being activated.
To investigate the weight loss benefit of green tea on rats, the scientists placed their subjects on a high-fat diet and provided them with green tea extract. It was discovered that even though the rats were on a high-fat diet, the green tea extract counterbalanced fat gain without affecting the amount of energy they took in. Green tea was said to have shown some weight loss benefits in the fact that it can prevent fat from being stored, can increase protein levels, and promote thermogenesis by triggering beta-adrenoceptor to action.
Recent findings of green tea extract AR25 (Exolise) and its activity for the treatment of obesity. This study is a collaborative work between Doctors P. Chantre and D. Lairon of the Laboratoires Arkopharma in Carros, France. Published in the 2002 issue of Phytomedicine, this study aimed to find out if green tea extract has weight loss benefits and can be a potential cure for obesity.
In their study, they used an 80% ethanolic concentrate in green tea extract with standardized 25% catechins. They tested the green tea extract and were able to find that it could directly inhibit gastric and pancreatic lipases. These enzymes are the primary cause of fat storage and by delaying their actions; green tea extract therefore exhibits a weight loss benefit that can help solve obesity problems.
It was also discovered in this study that green tea can stimulate thermogenesis. Given to moderately obese patients, the green tea extract was said to have caused a decrease in weight by 4.6% and a reduction of waist circumference by 4.48% after only three months. The findings of the study clearly implicate the weight loss benefits of green tea.

Green Tea Diet Pills

2007-01-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

People want to make themselves look nice. These days, television, magazines and newspapers are constantly feeding us with ideas on the perfect body. But truth be told, majority of us do not have the model figures to make it to the cut. It is not a shocker then when a multi-billion industry could spring from weight loss products like diet pills.

Too many diet pills and products are available in the market today that it is hard to determine which one really works. Several manufacturing companies specializing in diet pills and other weight loss products are quick to claim the effectiveness of their diet pills even without proper scientific backing. Some diet pills even contain substances that have harmful effects to the body.

Diet pill ingredients like ephedra have been to known to cause complications from cardiovascular palpitations to hypertension and diarrhea. Several cases have been reported by the FDA of the harmful effects of diet pills and other weight loss products. But even then, people continue to buy and use diet pills.

Good Diet Pills

Though some diet pills contain harmful elements, not all diet pills are bad. Diet pills made from herbs can have several benefits aside from weight loss. Some of these herbal diet pills come from plants such as nettle, green tea, and dandelion.

Green tea is an herb popularly used in making diet pills. Green tea is derived from the plant Carmellia sinensis, the same plant made in concocting black and oolong tea. The process of making green tea makes it different from the other Carmellia sinensis teas. Because green tea is only mildly steamed and then dried, a majority of the beneficial antioxidants present in green tea remain intact.

Green tea has been known to have several health benefits. Certain substances in green tea can effectively stop cancer cells from going. Green tea’s catechin polyphenols also acts as effective antioxidants that can kill harmful free radicals that cause aging. Green tea has also been known to boost the immune system.

At the University of Geneva, American and Swiss scientists were able to find that green tea has several weight loss benefits like increasing metabolism, thermogenesis, and suppressing fat intake. The results of their study became the basis for using green tea as a diet pill ingredient.

Diet Pills from Green Tea

Dieticians say that weight loss is achieved in two ways: reduce the intake of calories and increase energy expenditure. Green tea can perform both these functions quite well.

Green tea diet pills contain a small amount of caffeine in them. This makes green tea diet pills the perfect candidate for an appetite-suppressant. Aside from suppressing the appetite, green tea diet pills also have diuretic properties that help reduce excess water in the body. Extra water contributes to extra weight and by ridding the body of these, green tea diet pills contributes much to weight loss.

Green tea diet pills contain a high amount of antioxidants that helps burn fat faster. This claim of green tea diet pills is back by several scientific studies, including the one conducted in Geneva, Switzerland. Green tea diet pills can effectively increase metabolic rate and energy expenditure, helping the body purge out any excess calories.

The herb green tea is also compatible with other herb extracts. In fact, it is said that the weight loss benefits of green tea are enhanced when used in combination with other herbal remedies. This is what makes green tea an ideal component of diet pills.

Miracle Cup: The Health Benefits of Green Tea

2007-01-11T07:11:00.002-08:00

How do you fit a miracle in a cup?

For 4,000 years, the Chinese people have been using green tea as treatment for everything from headaches to depression.

Today, studies are conducted in Asia and the west in order to produce hard evidence of the health benefits of green tea. In the 1994 edition of the Journal of National Cancer Institute, the results of an epidemiological study stated that one of the health benefits of drinking green tea is that it can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by up to 60%.

The rich presence of catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the reason why green tea has so much health benefits. A powerful antioxidant, EGCG can not only inhibit the growth of cancer cells but can also destroy them without harming healthy cells.

The University of Purdue has also concluded a research on how a certain compound present in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing. Still another health benefit of green tea is its ability to lower down cholesterol levels and improve the ratio between good (HDL) cholesterol and bad (LDL) cholesterol.

The EGCG in green tea is a health benefit substance that can lower down LDL cholesterol levels and stop blood from forming abnormal clots (thrombosis), a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Green tea has more health benefits compared to other Chinese teas like oolong and black tea, all of which come from the plant Camellia sinensis. What makes green tea different is the process by which it is made. Green tea owes much of its health benefits to how the Camellia sinensis leaves are steamed. The steam process keeps the EGCG health benefit of green tea from oxidizing. With oolong and black teas, however, the leaves are fermented instead of being steamed, thus causing the EGCG health benefit to transform into another less medicinally potent form.

Aside from medicinal value, green tea can also offer other health benefits, especially in the fitness field. Drinking green tea can cause a person to burn down more calories. A recent study on the health benefits of green tea shows that the drink can help dieters. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, men who take both caffeine and green tea burn down more calories than men who only take caffeine or a placebo.

Another health benefit of green tea is its bacteria-destroying properties. The health benefit of green tea in this area is that it can help prevent food poisoning and also prevent tooth decay. The substances found in green tea kill the bacteria causing food poisoning and those that cause dental plaque to form.

Well known for its countless medicinal and health benefits, green tea is nothing short of a miracle.

Green Tea Diet Review

2007-01-11T07:11:00.001-08:00

Due to the popularity of recent findings, green tea has almost become synonymous with weight loss and diet. The addition of green tea diet into diet pills and weight loss supplements is perhaps spurred by reports of harmful side-effects of other drugs like ephedra.

Why choose green tea diet?

For four thousand years, green tea diet has been used all throughout Asia as a beneficial health and medicinal drink. Green tea diet is different from all other tea diets because its liquid is extracted by steaming the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant as opposed to full oxidation. In this way, green tea diet manages to preserve a lot more antioxidants and keep them intact for the body to use.

Green tea diet is an excellent source of polycatechin polyphenols, a group of antioxidants that act on free radicals. These free radicals have harmful effects on the body since they are the major causes of diseases and aging. With green tea diet’s polycatechin polyphenols, a person has a better chance of avoiding ailments and keeping himself healthy for a much longer period of time.

Another antioxidant in green tea diet is also being studied as a potential cure for cancer. Epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG found in green tea diet has been discovered to destroy cancer cells while keeping surrounding healthy cells unharmed.

The EGCG in green tea diet also acts with another compound, caffeine (a small amount of this is found in green tea). The interaction of these two compounds causes green tea diet to promote thermogenesis in the body.

It has been noted by a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that with the consumption of green tea diet, the body’s total 24-hour energy expenditure is increased by up to four percent. This is roughly equivalent to losing more than 10 pounds of weight a month.

Green tea diet helps increase the body’s metabolic rates. With its thermogenic properties, it is only natural that green tea diet can also promote faster metabolism of fats and sugars. Excess glucose found in the body is turned into fats by the hormone insulin. Because green tea diet has an inhibiting effect on insulin, green tea diet therefore helps keep sugar from being stored as fats and instead, send them directly into the muscles for immediate use.

The downside to a green tea diet

Although green tea diet has a reputation for boosting health, scientific proofs of its health benefits are still somewhat mixed. However, in an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, American researchers collaborated with their Chinese counterparts to discuss the beneficial effects of green tea diet on cholesterol levels.

Using 240 men and women (average age 55) who possess mild to moderately high LDL cholesterol levels, the researchers instructed them to retain their usual low-fat diet, green tea diet intake, and activity levels. After twelve weeks, it was found that those who consumed green tea diet extract with their regular meals lost more than fifteen percent of their total LDL cholesterol levels.

Although the researchers never explained how green tea diet may influence cholesterol levels, previous studies have shown that certain compounds in green tea diet play a role in reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body, increasing amount of cholesterol excreted, and thus keeping cholesterol from being stored in the liver.

Subsequent studies were made to test the findings of the first group of researchers. Their results were contradictory. They found that green tea diet has no significant effect on the cholesterol profiles of their subjects.

There is no such thing as a miracle diet. Green tea diet, like all other diets, needs a lot of work and input from those who enroll in it. Green tea diet required both discipline and heart for it to make any significant impact on your weight loss goals.

Chinese Green Tea for Weight Loss

2007-01-11T07:10:00.001-08:00

For most people, the Chinese green tea is a stuff of legends. Chinese green tea has been known to be very beneficial to human health. For thousands of years, Chinese green tea has been talked about and written about because of its countless positive effects.

According to legend, the first person to ever taste Chinese green tea was the Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 B.C. It was said that while boiling some water for drinking, some leaves fell into his pot from a tree nearby. Chinese green tea leaves when boiled smelled and tasted so wonderful that Shen Nung even urged his people to drink it. The fame of the Chinese green tea did not stay at one place for long. It is believed that in A.D. 800, Chinese green tea was brought to Japan by monks who studied Buddhism in China.

What makes Chinese green tea different from all other teas?

Chinese green tea is produced from Camellia sinensis, the same plant where the oolong and black tea are derived. Yet, even though they all come from the same herb, the Chinese green tea truly stands out as an exceptional health drink. So what makes Chinese green tea different?

The difference lies in the method by which Chinese green tea is produced. Oolong and black tea leaves are traditionally oxidized and then dried while the Chinese green tea leaves are steamed and then dried. This method of producing Chinese green tea actually preserves most of the beneficial antioxidants present in it.
Chinese Green Tea for Health
While it is already common knowledge that Chinese green tea has several health benefits, modern scientists were able to provide several concrete proofs of the positive effects of Chinese green tea. Chinese green tea antioxidants are said to be the ones responsible for making the Chinese green tea very beneficial.
Recent findings show that the antioxidants in Chinese green tea can reduce cholesterol levels in a person; can improve how blood vessels function; and can reduce blood lipids. It was also discovered that Chinese green tea can have an anti-inflammatory effects and may provide protection against cardiovascular diseases.
Chinese Green Tea for Weight Loss
Significant findings were made that pointed to the benefits of Chinese green tea in weight loss. According to the researchers of the University of Geneva, Chinese green tea has thermogenic properties which aid much in weight loss. In their study, they investigated the weight loss benefits of Chinese green tea by observing the interaction between the caffeine in Chinese green tea and a compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). When these two substances in Chinese green tea react, thermogenesis of the body increases by four percent. The tendency of Chinese green tea to enhance metabolic rates has given people reason to believe that Chinese green tea has weight loss benefits as well.
Another study concerning the weight loss benefits of Chinese green tea was also conducted. The results of the research showed that Chinese green tea drinkers have a better propensity for weight loss. Drinking Chinese green tea allows the body to burn an additional 70 calories a day, a feat that weight loss enthusiasts would relish.
Today, Chinese green tea is widely available as a beverage and as an ingredient for weight loss products.

Green Tea Diet

2007-01-11T07:09:00.001-08:00

Obesity has become one of the major health issues in our society today. More than half of the American population is overweight or obese. As a result, diet and weight loss plans have become increasingly popular. But not all diet plans work. And not all of them are necessarily risk-free. A safer alternative for people wanting to lose weight are green tea diets.

About Green Tea

For thousands of years, green tea diet has been highly valued by the Chinese as an herbal and medicinal drink. It was believed that green tea diet was first discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung who was boiling water when the leaves of a nearby tree fell into his pot. The result was the first ever pot of green tea.

Like all three of the major Asian teas in the market, green tea comes from the plant called Carmellia sinensis. Much of the health benefits of green tea diets owe to the steaming method of making it. As opposed to black and oolong tea which undergoes full oxidization, green tea diet is only gently steamed, preserving the natural antioxidants in its original form.

The Health Benefits of Green Tea Diet

There are many health benefits associated with having a green tea diet. One of these green tea diet benefits is preventing cancer. Certain substances present in green tea diets are said to help in destroying cancer cells without harming any neighboring tissues. This substance in green tea diets is called epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG.

EGCG in green tea diets is also helpful in increasing the 24-hour energy expenditure of the body. A study on green tea diets conducted by American and Swiss scientists in the University of Geneva showed an additional increase of four percent in the body’s natural energy expenditure. People who were on a green tea diet were more likely to use up more fats than those not on a green tea diet.

Also, green tea diets are said to greatly help in lowering down cholesterol levels in humans. The study on green tea diets was conducted in China using 240 people with high cholesterol levels as subjects. These people were placed on a green tea diet of one capsule (equivalent to seven cups of green tea) or were given one placebo every day. After twelve weeks, those who were on a green tea diet dropped sixteen percent in their cholesterol levels.

Green tea diets can also be a potential cure to obesity. The catechin polyphenols present in green tea diets can delay the reaction of gastric and pancreatic lipases in the body. These enzymes are responsible for converting calories in the body into fats. By delaying these enzymes, green tea diets can therefore stop fat from being stored and prevent obesity in people.

Green tea diets contain substantial amount of caffeine that make it a mild appetite-suppressant. However, caffeine content in green tea diets is not as high as those found in other caffeine-based beverages, like coffee. Caffeine may be harmful for the body since an excess of it can cause heart palpitations, hypertension, and insomnia. Because green tea diets contain only very low levels of caffeine, there is no danger of experiencing these side-effects.