More good news about green tea and weightloss. Two new studies suggest that green tea extract acts in 3 ways: Green tea improves insulin sensitivity, lipolysis (fat burning) and glycaemic control.

The first study found that green tea extract improved the fat burning (fat oxidation) by 17% in healthy young men who took 3 capsules containing a total of 890 mg polyphenols and 366 mg EGCG.

In the second study, green tea extract was found to improve insulin resistance by 13% in the glucose tolerance test in healthy men.

The authors conclude that, "…Acute ingestion of green tea can increase fat oxidation during moderate-intensity exercise, possibly through an increase in lipolysis and therefore an increased availability of fat as a fuel. Green tea ingestion can also improve glycemic control after an oral glucose load and could have the potential to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.”

Reference: Green tea extract ingestion, fat oxidation, and glucose tolerance in healthy humans, Venables MC, Hulston CJ, et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 2008; 87(3): 778-84

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Green tea consumption is reportedly associated with various health-promoting properties. For example, it has been shown to promote fat oxidation in humans at rest and to prevent obesity and improve insulin sensitivity in mice. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of acute ingestion of green tea extract (GTE) on glucose tolerance and fat oxidation during moderate-intensity exercise in humans. DESIGN: Two studies were performed, both with a counter-balanced crossover design. In study A, 12 healthy men performed a 30-min cycling exercise at 60% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) before and after supplementation. In study B, 11 healthy men took an oral-glucose-tolerance test before and after supplementation. In the 24-h period before the experimental trials, participants ingested 3 capsules containing either GTE (total: 890 +/- 13 mg polyphenols and 366 +/- 5 mg EGCG) or a corn-flour placebo (total: 1729 +/- 22 mg). RESULTS: Average fat oxidation rates were 17% higher after ingestion of GTE than after ingestion of placebo (0.41 +/- 0.03 and 0.35 +/- 0.03 g/min, respectively; P < 0.05). Moreover, the contribution of fat oxidation to total energy expenditure was also significantly higher, by a similar percentage, after GTE supplementation. The insulin area under the curve decreased in both the GTE and placebo trials (3612 +/- 301 and 4280 +/- 309 microIU/dL . 120 min, respectively; P < 0.01), and there was a concomitant increase of 13% in insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Acute GTE ingestion can increase fat oxidation during moderate-intensity exercise and can improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in healthy young men.

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