How Green Tea Can Help You Lose Weight?

How Green Tea Can Help You Lose Weight?

Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet.

It is loaded with antioxidants and various plant compounds that may benefit your health.

Some people even claim that green tea can increase fat burning and help you lose weight.

This article examines the evidence surrounding green tea and weight loss.

Contains Substances That Can Help You Lose Fat

Tea leaves contain many beneficial compounds.

If you need weight loss with fat-burning green tea:

One of green tea’s compounds is caffeine. Although a cup of green tea holds much less caffeine (24–40 mg) than a cup of coffee (100–200 mg), it still contains enough to have a mild effect.

Caffeine is a well-known stimulant that has been found to aid fat burning and improve exercise performance in numerous studies (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).

However, green tea really shines in its antioxidant content. Studies show that drinking a cup of green tea increases the amount of antioxidants in your bloodstream (3).

This healthy beverage is loaded with potent antioxidants called catechins (4).

The most important of these is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a substance that can boost metabolism.

Although one cup of green tea may raise your antioxidant levels, most studies have examined the benefits of green tea extract — which is a concentrated source of catechins.

Can Fat Mobilize From Fat Cells

To burn fat, your body must first break it down in the fat cell and move it into your bloodstream.

Animal studies suggest that the active compounds in green tea can aid this process by boosting the effects of some fat-burning hormones, such as norepinephrine (noradrenaline).

The main antioxidant in tea, EGCG, can help inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine (5Trusted Source).

When this enzyme is inhibited, the amount of norepinephrine increases, promoting fat breakdown (6).

In fact, caffeine and EGCG — both of which are found naturally in green tea — may have a synergistic effect (7Trusted Source).

Ultimately, your fat cell breaks down more fat, which is released into your bloodstream for use as energy by cells like muscle cells.

Increases Fat Burning, Especially During Exercise

If you look at the label of almost every commercial weight loss and fat-burning supplement, you will likely see green tea listed as an ingredient.

This is because green tea extract has been repeatedly linked to increased fat burning, especially during exercise.

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In one study, men who took green tea extract before exercise burned 17% more fat than men who didn’t take the supplement. The study suggests that green tea can boost the fat-burning effects of exercise (8Trusted Source).

An eight-week study determined that tea catechins increased fat burning, both during exercise and rest (9).

Several other studies confirm these findings, indicating that EGCG boosts the burning of fat — which may lead to reduced body fat in the long term (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

Boosts Your Metabolic Rate

Your body is constantly burning calories.

Even when you’re sleeping or sitting down, your cells are performing millions of functions that require energy.

Several studies suggest that taking green tea extract or EGCG supplements can make you burn more calories — even at rest.

In most studies, this amounts to about a 3–4% increase, although some show an increase as high as 8% (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).

For a person who burns 2,000 calories per day, 3–4% amounts to an additional 60–80 calories spent per day — similar to what you might expect from a high-protein diet.

Although most of these studies were very short in duration, some evidence suggests that the metabolism-boosting effect persists in the long term (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).

In one study in 60 obese individuals, those taking green tea extract lost 7.3 more pounds (3.3 kg) and burned 183 more calories per day after three months than those not taking the extract (17Trusted Source).

However, not all studies show that green tea extract boosts metabolism. The effect may depend on the individual (18Trusted Source).

Can It Automatically Make You Consume Fewer Calories?

One way that green tea could aid weight loss is by reducing appetite.

This would theoretically make you consume fewer calories automatically — and without any effort.

However, studies produced conflicting results on the effects of green tea on appetite (19).

Some animal studies suggest that green tea extracts or EGCG supplements can reduce the amount of fat you absorb from foods, but this has not been confirmed in humans (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source).

Overall, green tea’s primary effect is to increase calorie expenditure, making you burn more fat — but it doesn’t appear to have any noticeable effect on how much food you end up eating throughout the day.

Green Tea Can Help You Lose Fat, Especially Harmful Abdominal Fat

When it comes to actual pounds lost, the effects of green tea are relatively modest.

Although many studies show that people do in fact lose weight, there are also some studies showing no effect.

Two reviews of many controlled trials on green tea supplements found that people lost about 3 pounds (1.3 kg) on average (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source).

Keep in mind that not all fat is the same.

Subcutaneous fat lodges under your skin, but you may also have significant amounts of visceral fat, also called belly fat.

High amounts of visceral fat are associated with inflammation and insulin resistance, both of which are strongly linked to several serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Several studies on green tea catechins show that although the weight loss effects are modest, a significant percentage of fat lost is harmful visceral fat (25Trusted Source, 26, 27Trusted Source).

Therefore, green tea should reduce your risk of many major diseases down the line, which may lead to a longer and healthier life.

The Bottom Line

Even though green tea extract or EGCG supplements can cause a modest increase in metabolic rate and fat burning, its effects are modest when it comes to actual pounds lost.

However, every little bit adds up, and it may work even better when combined with other effective weight loss strategies like eating more protein and cutting carbs.

Of course, don’t forget that the benefits of green tea extend beyond weight loss. It is also healthy for various other reasons.

Keep in mind that most studies have examined green tea extracts or supplements containing isolated green tea antioxidants.

In comparison, the effects of drinking green tea are probably minimal, although regular intake may have long-term benefits.

How Much Green Tea Should You Drink Per Day?

Green tea is a popular beverage consumed worldwide.

In recent years, it has also gained popularity as a health drink.

Green tea is derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant and comes in several varieties.

It can be enjoyed hot, cold or even in powdered form, and it’s recognized for its high antioxidant content and health benefits.

But how much green tea should you drink to achieve these benefits? And could drinking too much be dangerous?

This article dives into the research to find out how much green tea you should drink

Green Tea Is Linked to Many Health Benefits

Green tea is loaded with nutrients and plant compounds that can have positive health effects.

This includes potent antioxidants called catechins, which may help protect against cancer.

In fact, multiple studies show that people who drink green tea are significantly less likely to get many types of cancer, compared to those who don’t drink it (1, 2).

The cancers that green tea may help protect against include prostate and breast cancer,

which are the two most common cancers in men and women, respectively (3, 4Trusted Source).

What’s more, several studies indicate that green tea may lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7, 8).

And drinking green tea may even help you lose weight.

The caffeine and catechins it contains have been shown to boost your metabolism and increase fat burning (9, 10Trusted Source).

Overall, studies indicate that consuming green tea can help you burn an additional 75–100 calories per day (11Trusted Source).

Although this may seem like a small amount, it can contribute to significant weight loss over the long term.

Other possible benefits of drinking green tea include immune system support, improved brain function, improved dental health and a lower risk of arthritis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (12Trusted Source, 13, 14Trusted Source).

How Much Green Tea Is Optimal?

Studies that explore the benefits of green tea show conflicting evidence about exactly how much you should drink each day.Some studies show health benefits in people who drink as little as one cup per day, while other studies deem five or more cups per day to be optimal (15, 16Trusted Source).

Green tea may help lower the risk of several diseases. However, the optimal amount to drink may depend on the disease.

Oral cancer: In a large observational study, women who drank three to four cups of green tea daily were the least likely to develop oral cancer (17Trusted Source).

Prostate cancer: A large observational study found that men who drank five or more cups of green tea daily had a lower risk of developing prostate cancer, compared to those who drank less than one cup per day (18Trusted Source).

Stomach cancer: Another large observational study showed a reduced risk of stomach cancer in women who consumed five or more cups of green tea per day (19Trusted Source).

Breast cancer: Two observational studies showed reduced recurrences of breast cancer in women who drank more than three cups of green tea daily (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).

Pancreatic cancer: One observational study found that drinking five or more cups of green tea per day was linked to a decreased risk of pancreatic cancer (22Trusted Source).

Diabetes: In a retrospective observational study, people who consumed six or more cups of green tea daily had a 33% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to those who consumed less than one cup per week (23Trusted Source).

Heart disease: An analysis of nine studies found that people who consumed one to three cups of green tea daily had a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, compared to those who drank less than one cup (24Trusted Source).

Based on the above studies, it’s optimal to drink three to five cups of green tea per day.

However, it’s important to note that some studies did not find any association between drinking green tea and disease risk, so these effects may vary from person to person (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source)

One thing most studies have found is that green tea drinkers are in better health than those who do not drink tea at all.

Possible Side Effects of Drinking Green Tea

The caffeine and catechins in green tea are well known for their health benefits, but they can also cause side effects for some people, especially in large doses.

Effects of Caffeine

Consuming too much caffeine can increase feelings of anxiety, interfere with sleep and cause stomach upset and headaches in some people (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source, 29Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source).

Consuming large amounts of caffeine while pregnant may even increase the risk of birth defects and miscarriage (32Trusted Source).

Based on current research, everyone, including pregnant women, should not consume more than 300 mg of caffeine daily (33Trusted Source).

However, one review looked at over 400 studies and found that healthy adults who consumed up to 400 mg of caffeine per day did not experience adverse effects (34Trusted Source).

The amount of caffeine in one cup of green tea varies depending on the amount of tea used and the length of time the leaves steep.

One study found that the caffeine content of 1 gram of green tea ranged from 11–20 mg (12Trusted Source).

A single serving is usually measured at 1 tablespoon (2 grams) of tea leaves per 1 cup (240 ml) of water. Assuming each cup of tea is approximately 1 cup (240 ml), this means the average cup of green tea contains about 22–40 mg of caffeine.

Catechins May Reduce Iron Absorption

The catechins in green tea may reduce your ability to absorb iron from foods (35Trusted Source).

In fact, consuming catechins in large quantities may lead to iron deficiency anemia (36Trusted Source).

While regularly drinking green tea isn’t a concern for most healthy individuals, those at risk of iron deficiency should consider drinking tea in between meals and waiting at least one hour after eating before drinking tea (37Trusted Source).

Infants, young children, women who are pregnant or menstruating and individuals who have internal bleeding or are undergoing dialysis are all at an increased risk of iron deficiency.

The catechins in green tea can also interfere with certain medications and decrease their effectiveness.

For example, studies indicate that green tea may inhibit the effectiveness of certain heart and blood pressure medications (12Trusted Source).

Drinking green tea may also decrease the effects of certain medications used to treat anxiety and depression (38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source).

Toxic effects are most common when people take green tea supplements, which have a much higher concentration of catechins than green tea itself (40Trusted Source).

The Bottom Line

Green tea is packed full of health-promoting compounds.

Regularly drinking green tea can help you lose weight and reduce your risk of several diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Drinking three to five cups of green tea per day seems to be optimal to reap the most health benefits.

Very high doses may be problematic for some, but generally, green tea’s benefits far outweigh its risks.

In fact, drinking more green tea may greatly improve your health.