Does green tea work for weight loss?
What's the story
Green tea is a healthy and powerful drink that is often associated with weight loss and cutting down belly fat due to the presence of bioactive substances in it. Apart from weight loss, it also offers several health benefits due to its antioxidant properties. Green tea regulates your blood sugar and increases your metabolism. Let's find out how it helps in weight loss.
Context
Here is what our expert says
Green tea inhibits enzymes such as glucosidase, pancreatic lipase, and amylase which are responsible for the digestion of carbohydrates and fats in the intestine. By reducing the digestion of complex molecules, the absorption of simple molecules such as glucose and fatty acids is reduced. The efficacy of green tea for weight reduction varies and is debatable. However, it has minimum side effects.
Metabolic rate
It helps to boost metabolism that contributes to weight loss
Green tea contains essential bioactive substances like caffeine and a type of polyphenol called catechins which help to boost the body's metabolic rate. A high metabolic rate will burn more calories and increase the energy of your body which will aid in weight loss. It also increases the antioxidant levels in your bloodstream. According to studies, green tea consumption can burn 75-100 calories daily.
Fat-burning process
Green tea hastens fat-burning during exercise
Green tea is extremely effective in quickening the fat-burning process which is why various weight loss supplements nowadays contain green tea extracts in them. However, you should exercise and have green tea simultaneously to boost the fat-burning effects. According to a study, men who consumed green tea supplements before exercise experienced 17% reduced body fat than the ones who did not.
Appetite suppressant
Helps you cut sugar and suppresses appetite
Consuming high amounts of sugar can contribute to weight gain and cause several health issues. Green tea does not require sugar and is low in calories which helps you to cut back on sugar in your diet. Moreover, it also helps in reducing your appetite by affecting the dopamine and norepinephrine in the body which allows you to shed those extra kilos.
Good fats
Helps activate good fats
There are two types of fats in our body - brown fat and white fat. Brown fat is known as good fat and it helps you to lose weight while white fat is the squishy bad fat in your body that appears when you gain weight. The catechin compounds in green tea help to increase your body's brown fat which aids in weight loss.