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Green Tea
Q&A
by Tanya Zilberter,
PhD
Researchers at the University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland,
reported that green tea extract stimulated brown adipose tissue
thermogenesis to an extent which is much greater than can be attributed
to its caffeine content, and that its thermogenic properties could
reside primarily in an interaction between its high content in
catechin-polyphenols and caffeine with an increase in noradrenaline
release.
Jennifer Bowens of Los Angeles, CA, 2001-03-14
Q:
I read
your article on Green Tea and Weight Loss. Kinda unclear. Does it aid
in
weight loss or not, and which is better to drink, Green or Black Tea?
and
Why? Thank you, Jennifer Bowens
A:
The green tea extract may play a role in the control of body
composition via activation of thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both.
First of all, green tea works by increasing energy expenditure. Green
tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat burning beyond that
explained by its caffeine content per se.
Researchers at the University of Fribourg,
Fribourg, Switzerland, reported that green tea extract stimulated brown
adipose tissue thermogenesis to an extent which is much greater than
can be attributed to its caffeine content, and that its thermogenic
properties could reside primarily in an
interaction between its high content in catechin-polyphenols and
caffeine with an increase in noradrenaline release.
Green tea also works by normalising lipid
metabolism. Green tea extract has preventive effects on blood
cholesterol suggesting that green tea has anti-atherosclerotic
activity.
Should it be necessarily green tea?
Perhaps, if we are talking about the fat-burning
effects. Maybe not, as it comes to the saliva enzymes inhibition. Tea
decoctions prepared from a number of black and green teas inhibited
amylase in human saliva. Black teas gave higher levels of inhibition
than green teas, and removal of tea tannins with gelatin led to the
loss of inhibitory activity from all decoctions.
Salivary amylase starts the digestion of food
starches to low molecular weight fermentable carbohydrates. In a
clinical experiment conducted by the Center for Research on the
Biological Effects of Foods, Forsyth, Boston, subjects consumed salted
crackers and rinsed subsequently for 30 s with black or green tea
decoctions, or water. The carbohydrate Maltose concentration was
reduced by up to about 70% after rinsing with the teas. Black tea
decoction was significantly more effective than green tea.
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