Health
& Science
BODY METABOLISM and GREEN TEA
Michael
Porter CH.t.
Tuning
up your metabolism with the right nutrients is essential for weight loss. There
is significant evidence that supplementation of green tea extract can lead to
increased fat burning. Obesity is not a drug deficiency. Sure, you can
administer certain synthetic medications or nutrients that stimulate thermogenic
activity, but supplying your body with the essential nutrients is all that it
needs to activate correct fat metabolism. This is better than doing it through
caloric restriction or brain-chemistry manipulation. Nutrients won't do
everything. You need a diet that is lower in carbohydrates, contains adequate
quality protein, essential fats, and plenty of fiber, and a routine exercise
program.
GREEN TEA
Q: What supplement, other than Essential Fatty Acids, do you feel is best
for thermogenesis (fat burning)?
A: Green tea extract may be useful in controlling body composition through
the activation of thermogenesis, or fat oxidation. I have even seen this
research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Green tea extract
contains a high amount of catechin polyphenols, which inhibit the breakdown of
norepinephrine. Green tea may cause a more sustained effect of norepiniphrine
on thermogenesis.
Q: Is it the caffeine that makes green tea so effective?
A: Researchers thought it might be the caffeine in the green tea that effects
fat burning, so they did some tests. They had the test subjects use either: a.
Green Tea Extract (90 mg epigallocatechin gallate and 50 mg of caffeine) b.
Caffeine (50 mg) c. Placebo Treatment with caffeine in amounts equivalent to
those found in the green tea extract showed no changes in energy expenditure.
The researchers concluded that green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes
fat oxidation to a degree that cannot be explained by its caffeine content. The
catachin polyphenols in green tea - which have been proven to speed up the
body's calorie- burning ability - are unlike other diet supplements and drugs.
For instance, green tea doesn't increase the heart rate. This is important for
those who are overweight, because most are already at risk for hypertension or
high blood pressure.
Q: What is the Green Tea dosage you have found to be most effective?
A: The extract contains the precise ratio of specific green tea polyphenols,
including 90 mg of the active ingredient epigal locatechin gallate (EGCG). This
proprietary extract has been shown to increase thermogenesis by up to 43%. The
most amazing thing is that the test subjects increased thermogenesis and fat
oxidation without exercise of any kind. Just think what they could have done
with exercise! (I do not support weight loss without exercise - I am simply
pointing out what the researchers found.) Green tea could be that extra boost
you need to get you over a plateau or help you lose those last few pounds.
