How green tea extract increases metabolism

Medical researchers and scientists all over the world are discovering the health benefits of green tea. The beverage is known to contain numerous catechins and phytochemicals that aid in heart health and cancer prevention. However, green tea (particularly in concentrated extract form) also has properties that aid in boosting our metabolism. Why is this so important?

Essentially, speeding up a person’s metabolic rate burns fat, which leads to weight loss. It also gives a person more energy. But before we look at exactly how green tea extract increases metabolism, let’s review its fascinating history as one of the most important cultural beverages of all time.

The History of Green Tea

Approximately 5,000 years ago, China began to use tea as a medicinal beverage to promote mind and body health. While the pop health craze of today lauds the many health benefits of green tea, in reality the beverage has been an integral part of Chinese culture for thousands of years.

The earliest recorded reference to the use of green tea as promoting good health goes back to 2737 B.C. But it wasn’t until the reign of the Ming dynasty in 1368 A.D. (after the fall of the Mongolian empire) that tea drinking spread from the elite to the populace. It was at that point that interesting stories of the health benefits of green tea emerged. For example, Chinese sailors would drink green tea for the vitamin C which prevented scurvy, a disease which killed numerous European sailors more than 100 years later.

Green Tea’s Effects on Metabolism

At its core, green tea extract promotes fat oxidation which leads to increased energy, endurance, and weight loss. A recent article in WebMD Health News tells us, “In a small study, green tea appeared to raise metabolic rates and speed up fat oxidation. Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se,’ says Abdul G. Dulloo, a researcher at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and lead author of the study published in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Thermogenesis is the calories the body burns while digesting and absorbing food as it’s being eaten.”(1)

It is interesting to note that the regions of the world that enjoy less obesity and fewer instances of heart disease and cancer are located in the Mediterranean where olive oil is prevalent, and in Asia where green tea-drinking is part of the culture. The link to both regions is the healthy catechins, phytochemicals, and free radical-destroying antioxidants present in these two staples.

So next time you go on a diet to lose weight, consider taking green tea extract daily (available in liquid or pill form) or drinking five cups of green tea per day.

Source Notes:

1) WebMD Health News, “Green Tea Boosts Metabolism, Protects Against Diseases,” November 8, 1999. http://www.webmd.com/news/1999 1128/green-tea-boosts-metaboli sm-protects-against-diseases