EGCG and Weight Loss Benefits
Green Tea Three-Way Magic

EGCG or epigallocatechin gallate is a polyphenol found in green tea. Though green tea has many polyphenols, EGCG is the most abundant and potent of these amazing antioxidants.

Many scientific studies have indicated that EGCG can have some big benefits for overall health, especially because it can help you lose weight.

All of the macro nutrients, fat, protein and carbohydrates are broken down via digestion and turned into glucose. The glucose is the energy used by your body's cells to perform bodily activities. Excess glucose is stored as fat.

Metabolism is the rate at which we burn calories or fuel. When your metabolism is low, more energy is stored as fat. When your metabolism is high, you burn (or use) the calories more quickly.

In 1999, a study conducted by Dulloo and his colleagues in Geneva and Nice indicated that consuming 90 milligrams of EGCG in addition to 50 milligrams of caffeine a day would increase your metabolism by 4%.

What this means is that a few hours after you consume EGCG, your body will automatically be burning calories, whether you are walking, watching TV or sleeping.

4% may not sound a lot, but if your body consumed 2,000 calories a day, this translates to 80 calories a day or 8 pounds a year!

EGCG acts as a powerful fat burner. In a 2001 study conducted by scientists from the Belleville Human Nutrition Research Center in the United States, four groups were given different combinations of:

• Water
• Full-strength tea (which would contain caffeine, EGCG and other polyphenols)
• Half-strength tea
• Caffeinated water

It was found that caffeinated water burns more calories than tea.

Those who drank full-strength tea burned 2.9% more energy or 67 calories a day. Those who drank caffeinated water burned 3.4% more energy or 79 calories a day.

But when it comes to fat burning, tea compounds are more powerful than caffeine. Those who drank full-strength tea burned 12% more fat. Those who drank caffeinated water burned 8% more fat.

This indicates that EGCG acting in combination with caffeine is a more powerful fat burner than caffeine alone.

A 2006 study conducted by Donald Danforth Plant Science Center discovered that EGCG can help reduce fat storage by moderating your body's production of hormone insulin. The scientists discovered that EGCG does this by blocking the production of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH).

This is important because insulin plays a key part in converting glucose into fat.

A typical Western diet consists of a lot of refined, starchy carbohydrates. These starchy foods are broken down much more quickly than more complex foods such as whole grains and proteins.

When you eat too much refined food, your body experiences blood sugar overload, which triggers production of too much insulin. This causes your body to store away excess glucose in fat, rather than burning it off as energy.

EGCG moderates the amount of insulin produced. This has the benefit of raising your energy level and reducing fat storage.

Please note that even though EGCG moderates insulin level, studies have found it to be beneficial to diabetes patients. One study has found that it increases insulin effectiveness by more than 15 times.

Dulloo AG, Duret C, Rohrer D, Girardier L, Mensi N, Fathi M, Chantre P, Vandermander (1999). Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 1999 Dec;70(6):1040-5.

W. Rumpler, J. Seale, B. Clevidence, et al (2001). Oolong tea increases metabolic rate and fat oxidation in men. Journal of Nutrition; 131: 2848-2852.

Changhong Li, Aron Allen, Jae Kwagh, Nicolai M. Doliba, Wei Qin, Habiba Najafi, Heather W. Collins, Franz M. Matschinsky, Charles A. Stanley, and Thomas J. Smith (2006). Green Tea Polyphenols Modulate Insulin Secretion by Inhibiting Glutamate Dehydrogenase. J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 281, Issue 15, 10214-10221, April 14, 2006.

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