Green Tea Metabolism
How Many Calories?

Green tea can help you lose weight in many ways. The two most important pathways are through fat burning (called beta oxidation) and increasing metabolism (called thermogenesis). In this article, you will find out just how many more calories you can burn by consuming green tea.

According to Dr. Swen Wolfram, author of Anti-obesity effects of green tea, there have been 9 human trials conducted on the anti-obesity benefits of green tea. Two of the studies use metabolic chamber for measuring energy usage, and so provide credible insights into its metabolism boosting effects.

In 1999, Dr. Dulloo from the University of Geneva conducted a ground-breaking study in which 10 men were given one of the following 3 times a day:

• Green tea extract consisting of 50 milligram caffeine and 90 milligram epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) - green tea's most active antioxidant.

• 50 milligrams of caffeine

• Placebo

Dr. Dulloo discovered that consuming the green tea extract resulted in an increase of 4% in 24 hour energy usage. Just taking the caffeine in amounts equivalent to those found in the green tea extract had no effect on metabolism.

The researchers concluded that green tea boosts energy usage and promotes fat burning beyond that explained by its caffeine content.

This study was conducted by Dr. William Rumpler on 12 healthy male adults over 3 days. Unlike the previous study, the participants drank the beverage instead of consuming tea extract. They were divided into 4 groups, with each group given either

• Caffeinated water (270 milligrams)

• Full strength oolong tea (270 milligrams caffeine, 244 milligrams EGCG)

• Half strength oolong tea (122 milligrams EGCG)

• Water

The caffeinated water contained 270 milligrams of caffeine. The full strength oolong tea contained 244 milligrams of EGCG and the same amount of caffeine.

The scientists discovered that the caffeinated water increased energy usage by 3.4% compared to water over 24 hours. Full strength tea increased metabolism by 2.9%.

The half-strength tea did not significantly increase metabolism when compared to plain water.

According to a rule of thumb, you should consume at least 10 calories per pound of your ideal weight. So if you are aiming for a weight of 150 pounds, you should consume 1,500 calories a day.

Now here comes the problem. You and I probably consume far more calories than we realize. Most of these calories are found in fat, which makes up 40% of an American's diet (a balanced diet should contain 15% fat by calorie count). These fats are found everywhere: butter, vegetable oil, salad dressing, lean cut meat, seafood etc.

This is where green tea metabolism kicks in. If you burn 2,000 calories a day, this translates to a saving of 80 calories, or 8 pounds a year, not bad for just a few cups of soothing tea! After a few years, each little cup adds up to a gigantic slimming effect.

Increasing your energy usage is just one of the many things green tea does. More significantly, green tea reduces fat tissue and helps you exercise longer. Click on the link below to find out more!

Wolfram S, Wang Y, Thielecke F (2006). Anti-obesity effects of green tea: from bedside to bench. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2006 Feb;50(2):176-87.

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.

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.

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