Green Tea Burn Fat
Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Visceral

Green tea has many health benefits. According to Dr. Nagao Tomonoric, it is antioxidant, antiviral and anticancer. It also reduces blood pressure and blood sugar.

Cell culture studies found that green tea is especially effective in blocking fat cells from growing and multiplying. It also inhibits the enzymes involved in the fat storage process and promotes the enzymes involved in the fat oxidation process. End result? A powerful fat burner.

In 2005, Nagao and his colleagues from the Kao Corporation in Japan conducted a small human trial to find out. 38 healthy Japanese men aged 24 to 46 years, whose body weight was normal to overweight, participated.

Their energy and fat intakes were strictly monitored. They were not allowed to drink any tea or caffeine beverages. Over 12 weeks, they drank either green tea or oolong tea at supper.

The green tea was enriched and contains 690 milligrams of catechins. The oolong tea served as the control and contained only 22 milligrams of catechins.

As we grow older, our arteries naturally harden. Fats, cholesterols and blood platelets accumulate in the artery wall, forming a layer of atherosclerotic plaque. When they thicken and block the entire artery, a heart attack or stroke occurs.

The same study by Nagao found that after 3 months, green tea drinkers' cholesterols were less damaged by free radicals.

Damaged cholesterols can cause atherosclerotic plaque to form. By helping the cholesterols stay in good shape, green tea protects our heart from cardiovascular disease.

Triglycerides is the most common type of fat that exists in your body. Also present in blood plasma, it links up with cholesterol to form blood lipid.

Triglycerides in plasma are derived from fats eaten in foods or made in the body from other energy sources like carbohydrates. Any calories you consume and not used immediately by tissues are converted to triglycerides and transported to fat cells to be stored.

A 1999 Hong Kong study discovered that a human equivalent of 3 cups a day significantly reduces your blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.

What this means is that with better circulation of blood and oxygen, you will have more energy to perform your daily activities and stay slim.

Green tea does not just burn any fat. It is particular good at burning visceral fat.

Fat deposit on the hips and thighs produces the pear body shape.

Fat deposit around the abdominal cavity, intestines and internal organs produces the apple body shape and is called visceral fat. It is a particularly harmful kind of fat and is linked to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

In one 2004 study, mice were fed diets containing 2% green tea powder for 16 weeks. Visceral fat decreased by 76.8% in those receiving green tea compared to the control group.

T. Nagao, Y. Komine, S. Soga, et al (2005). Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialydehyde-modified LDL in men. Am J Clin Nutr; 81:122-129.

Back to Top of Green Tea Burn Fat

Back to Green Tea Weight Loss Main Page

Back to Amazing Green Tea Home