The Green Tea/Caffeine Combination For Weight Loss

The Green Tea/Caffeine Combination For Weight LossCopyright (c) 2007 Jon M. StoutGolden Moon Teahttp://www.GoldenMoonTea.comIn recent years, the subject of green tea has garnered a greatdeal of attention. Green tea has been touted for itsanti-oxidants and their unique ability to prevent illness andfight aging. Green tea has also been purported to help withweight loss, and it has been assumed that tea's anti-oxidantswere also responsible for this benefit. However, some findingsare suggesting that it's not just the anti-oxidants alone thatmake green tea an effective weight loss supplement.It appears that it's the combination of green tea with caffeinethat works magic for weight loss. This two-fold approach of greentea's anti-oxidants (polyphenols) combined with caffeine appearto have an effect that neither substance can have on its own.Green tea's caffeine is unique, in that it doesn't appear toraise the heart rate or blood pressure the way that other formsof caffeine do. So green tea is a good choice for dieters who arecaffeine sensitive. And, we know that caffeine speeds up themetabolism, helping us to burn more calories each day. So, thecaffeine in green tea, while not appearing to significantly raisethe heart rate or blood pressure, does seem to raise themetabolic rate.Green tea also seems to be helpful for weight loss because of itspotent anti-oxidants. Tea's polyphenols have been shown to havemany health benefits because they combat free radicals in thebody that can cause cell damage. These polyphenols also seem towork with other chemicals in the body to intensify fat oxidationand thermogenesis. This creates fat burning heat in the body.Green tea's polyphenols also help depress leptin production inthe body. Leptin is a protein hormone that regulates our appetiteand our fat storage. Lower levels of leptin mean a smallerappetite, but overweight people often produce too much leptin,which may be why they eat too much. If polyphenols can decreaseyour leptin levels, then you'll eat less without dieting. Greentea may also help regulate the hormone that tells us we're full.Obese people often over produce leptin and under produce thishormone, which leads to an increase in weight.Finally, it seems that green tea can help regulate insulin in thebody, too. Green tea helps the carbohydrates that we eat bereleased more slowly, which keeps our insulin levels steady thusreducing our chances of storing fat. Steady insulin levels meanmore efficient use of carbohydrates, which makes taking weightoff and keeping it off easier. When our carbohydrates are notused properly, our insulin level drops rapidly, and we store ourfood as fat. There is also ongoing research involving how greentea might be helpful for patients with diabetes.Several studies have reached similar conclusions regarding greentea and weight loss. One of the most famous studies was conductedby Dulloo and medical associates. This study noted that greentea's polyphenols combined with caffeine produced an increase inenergy expenditure (or number of calories burned) in a 24 hourperiod in their subjects. Further, this study concluded thatneither caffeine nor green tea's polyphenols produced the sameeffect when prescribed independently.In addition, the studies have shown that when the green tearegimen ceased, the benefits ceased, as well. In some cases,higher doses of green tea were needed over time to continue theweight loss effect. This has led researchers to conclude thatgreen tea should become a lifelong habit. This finding correlateswith other studies on green tea's ability to prevent diseasessuch as cancer and heart disease. In parts of the world wheregreen tea consumption is highest, with people drinking 8-10 cupsper day nearly all of their life, the incidences of cancer andheart disease are the lowest in the world.Of course, more research is needed about the benefits of greentea in many areas of medicine. Much of the research that has beenperformed has been on laboratory rats, whose results may besomewhat different than the results on humans. Human trials onlong term use of green tea would take years to conduct and bedifficult to complete, which is why we rely on short term studiesand laboratory experiments.However, even without long term conclusive results proving thatgreen tea can help you lose weight, you have nothing to fear fromadding a daily dose of green tea to your regimen. Green tea ishealthy and has no side effects. Even those who are sensitive tocaffeine can usually tolerate green tea without problems. Even ifyou don't lose any weight, drinking green tea is a healthyalternative to sodas.And, in addition to being an overall healthy beverage, you maygain other benefits from drinking green tea. You may be reducingyour risk of cancer and heart disease. You may see your bloodpressure and cholesterol lowered and you may find it easier tolose weight. So, it seems that for all of us, green tea is ahealthy and refreshing addition to the diet.----------------------------------------------------------Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden MoonTea Company. For more information about tea,(http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea) green tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/blacktea) and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com