Green tea extract is, these days, a popular ingredient in weight loss products. This is because studies have shown that green tea acts as a metabolic stimulant.

Green tea, as do other teas, contains caffeine. Maybe you’d think that it’s reasonable to assume that it’s the caffeine component that boosts the metabolism. However, green tea contains catechin polyphenols and it’s believed to be these compounds which are mainly responsible for the increase in metabolism. Catechin polyphenols are thermogenic, which means that they increase the rate at which the body burns calories.

In addition to this metabolic boost, studies conducted by two universities have also indicated that green tea extract will increase the rate at which fat is oxidized and that it improves glucose tolerance.

When used in weight loss supplements, green tea extract is often combined with caffeine. Caffeine, as most of us probably know, is a stimulant that increases heart rate, making us more alert. There are suggestions that the combination of these two substances has a synergistic effect; that is, that the combination is more effective than either ingredient is on its own.

While using a natural product such as green tea extract for weight loss sounds like a healthy alternative, it is advisable to check what other ingredients are in the supplements. As previously mentioned, many contain caffeine. Some also contain other stimulants so it’s not a bad idea to find out just what the ingredients do. And if you decide on a weight loss supplement that contains caffeine as well as green tea extract, it’s advisable to limit your intake of caffeine from other sources, such as coffee, cola and energy drinks.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 9:47 am and is filed under Diet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.