More Good News for Green Tea!
21/10/08
By Mark Gilbert
Back in the 80’s and 90’s, when people used to ask me what fat burner to use for maximum results, I had a standard answer – “any product that contained 10-20 milligrams of ephedra (from Ma Huang or Sida Cordifolia) along with 200 mg caffeine, but it can give some people the jitters and may keep you up all night”. Well now ephedra is regulated, so it’s a little harder to find. In the US, it was banned because it was suspected as a contributor to several deaths but it later turned out that the evidence to support its supposed lethal effects was a bit weak. Too bad a lot of supplement companies had to pay out huge sums of money in lawsuits before all the evidence was in! Now some States ban it and some allow it – you have to respect the power of local choice in the US (even if their choice of president is often a complete disaster)!
Anyhow, Since all of the controversy over ephedra, the most common ingredient in fat-burners has become green tea. I know what you’re thinking, it sounds pretty weak that the best thing companies can come up with is something that Chinese peasants drink five times a day but the research is actually quite good. It has been shown in a variety of studies to increase metabolism (the “thermogenic” effect), increase the use of fat for energy, decrease food intake and improve your insulin function.
The most recent study on green tea seems to verify many of these effects. A study done right here in the UK at the University of Birmingham by the very well-respected sports nutrition scientist, Dr AE Jeukendrup showed that green tea increased fat burning by almost 20%, increased the proportion of fat burned for energy and improved insulin function. So green tea is legit! But make sure you get your supplement from a quality company because all of the studies that have shown these results, used high-powered standardized green tea – check the label, you should be looking for a high percentage of polyphenols, with at least 90milligrams of the main active ingredient, EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) per serving. This is the amount used in the initial studies but some research shows that larger dosages may be even more effective.
Reference:
Venables MC, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008, 87(£):778-84
Back in the 80’s and 90’s, when people used to ask me what fat burner to use for maximum results, I had a standard answer – “any product that contained 10-20 milligrams of ephedra (from Ma Huang or Sida Cordifolia) along with 200 mg caffeine, but it can give some people the jitters and may keep you up all night”. Well now ephedra is regulated, so it’s a little harder to find. In the US, it was banned because it was suspected as a contributor to several deaths but it later turned out that the evidence to support its supposed lethal effects was a bit weak. Too bad a lot of supplement companies had to pay out huge sums of money in lawsuits before all the evidence was in! Now some States ban it and some allow it – you have to respect the power of local choice in the US (even if their choice of president is often a complete disaster)! Anyhow, Since all of the controversy over ephedra, the most common ingredient in fat-burners has become green tea. I know what you’re thinking, it sounds pretty weak that the best thing companies can come up with is something that Chinese peasants drink five times a day but the research is actually quite good. It has been shown in a variety of studies to increase metabolism (the “thermogenic” effect), increase the use of fat for energy, decrease food intake and improve your insulin function.
The most recent study on green tea seems to verify many of these effects. A study done right here in the UK at the University of Birmingham by the very well-respected sports nutrition scientist, Dr AE Jeukendrup showed that green tea increased fat burning by almost 20%, increased the proportion of fat burned for energy and improved insulin function. So green tea is legit! But make sure you get your supplement from a quality company because all of the studies that have shown these results, used high-powered standardized green tea – check the label, you should be looking for a high percentage of polyphenols, with at least 90milligrams of the main active ingredient, EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) per serving. This is the amount used in the initial studies but some research shows that larger dosages may be even more effective.
Reference:
Venables MC, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008, 87(£):778-84
