Green tea has been used for medicinal purposes in both China and Japan for at least 4000 years. It’s an easy to prepare and delicious drink that has perhaps had more positive health attributes associated with it than any other herb. Not least of these claims is that this tea is excellent for those trying to lose weight, but is this true?
With obesity on the rise, more and more people are asking how to burn body fat. This type of tea is purported to be an easy weight loss aid, especially when combined with a healthy weight loss diet. Numerous studies have shown that if you were to drink between 3 and 5 cups of green tea each day you’ll use around an extra 70 calories per day. This is not a huge number but it is important for two reasons.
Firstly, by switching to green tea you have stopped (or at least you should have stopped) drinking other things like sugary carbonated drinks, lattes and even fruit juices. By doing this you’ll have instantly cut out all the extra calories contained in these drinks before we even consider the fat fighting ability of green tea itself. Secondly, 70 calories each day comes to about 25,000 per year! Since one pound of body fat is equal to around 3500 calories then you’ll be losing 7 lbs per year just by switching your drink. Another weight loss bonus of green tea is that it contains caffeine which will temporarily raise your metabolism causing your body to burn more calories through the internal energy process called thermogenesis, this happens even when you are at rest.
In addition to its ability to burn body fat, there are other beneficial attributes linked to green tea. Research suggests that by drinking green tea regularly and often, you will reduce your risks of developing some cancers and cardiovascular disease.
What is it in green tea that brings these health benefits? As we digest food, the stomach eventually turns it into something called triglyceride. When there is too much of this substance in the blood it gets turned into fat. Triglyceride is broken down by a particular enzyme and when you drink green tea, production of this enzyme in increased and triglyceride removed more rapidly. This amazing tea is therefore hindering the absorption of fat in the body and also regulating the rise in blood sugar. Keeping a check on blood sugar levels is important because highs and lows in the blood sugar level can cause us to crave food, particularly sweet, fat gaining foods. Also, when you drink this tea, a type of flavonoid called catechins is produced and it is believed that this chemical plays a significant role in reducing the risks of developing certain types of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
One often cited benefit of this amazing drink is that it’s full of polyphenols a strong type of anti-oxidant. In fact, it’s believed that this is what gives green tea its bitter flavour. If a molecule has one or more pairs of free electrons then it is referred to as a free radical. These sorts of molecules can harm body tissue by adversely interacting with it. Anti-oxidants work by ridding the body of these free radicals, a process which is thought to lessen the risk of getting cancer and heart disease.
These are some of the major health benefits associated with green tea. There are many more and if you haven’t included it in your diet perhaps now is the time to start.
Nothing in this article should be construed as instruction or advice and before beginning any diet or exercise appropriate medical advice should be obtained.
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