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Pt. 1 – Japanese Paradox Revealed

When it comes to weight loss, there are three basic ways to achieve this: consume less food, burn more energy through exercise, or increase the body's thermogenesis. To promote long lasting results, many choose all three methods as a way of life.

Many people are looking for delicious and relatively inexpensive options for increasing thermogenesis within the body. Thermogenesis is the body's own metabolism which it uses to support the body's needs on a daily basis. While exercise can increase the body's thermogenesis short term, usually for a few hours after a workout, and has some effect long term, such as increasing the body's ability to effectively burn calories while we go about our busy days. Increasing the body's ability to burn calories through our diet can greatly increase our metabolism in addition to these other methods.

Some people, due to hypothyroidism or treatments forthyroid disorders, have reduced daily metabolism expenditure. It, then, becomes necessary to increase this expenditure through the use of supplements. A study found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a report on the ability of green tea extract to do just this.

Asian Paradox: Secrets to Staying Slim

Japanese researchers have published a study which concluded that drinking five cups of green tea a day instead of coffee can burn 70 to 80 extra calories per day, which may translate into 10 pounds of weight loss in just 6 to 10 weeks.

The 1999 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports, "Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se. The green tea extract may play a role in the control of body composition via sympathetic activation of thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both."

In 2005 a similar report in the same journal concluded that, "Daily consumption of tea containing 690 mg catechins for 12 wk reduced body fat, which suggests that the ingestion of catechins might be useful in the prevention and improvement of lifestyle-related diseases, mainly obesity."

It seems that phytochemicals, (aside from that of caffeine) only found in green tea, not only increase energy expenditure, but also have a significant impact on fat oxidation. At first, researchers thought these effects were largely due to the caffeine content. Upon extracting the caffeine and only using it in a second study, no effects had been found. However EECG and other phytochemicals, which were left after extraction of the caffeine, were used in a third study and found to produce the same results as the previous study.

Researchers began to realize that it was the synergistic effect of a multitude of elements found in green tea which promote increased metabolism and fat oxidation. They have concluded that these findings have a substantial implication for weight control. An average of a 4% increase of energy expenditure was recorded in a 24 hour period which could be contributed to green tea extract. Further studies revealed that this 4% increase actually translated to a 35 to 45% increase in daytime thermogenesis, compared to the roughly 10% of normal. 

Birmingham University (in the UK) published a study which claims that the average fat oxidation rates were 17% higher after drinking green tea when compared to that of a placebo. Additionally, the contribution to total caloric expenditure due to this fat oxidation was also significantly higher. They also conclude that ingestion of green tea can increase fat oxidation during moderate to intense exercise and improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance.

It is important to note that research subjects noticed zero side effects and no significant changes in heart rates were discovered. This means that unlike herbal treatments such as ephedra and prescription weight loss medications, there are no contraindications for most medications, (the exception being those on Bortezomib treatment.) Therefore, those who have thyroid diseases or who may be sensitive to stimulants, may find this an effective weight loss booster.

Incorporating This into a Lifestyle

The best way to incorporate green tea into a lifestyle to promote weight loss efforts would be to purchase a reputable brand at a health food store, try to choose a high quality brand which is organic and contain little, if any additives. There are many varieties from several parts of the world with distinct flavors and strengths. Not all green tea is the same.

You may also try taking it in supplement form such as EECG capsules from brands like NOW® or drinkable supplements such as Greens World’s Delicious Greens 8000 products. (which have caffeine free extracts.) Green tea, the caffeinated kinds, is best to take with a meal or food while supplemental forms which are caffeine free can be taken with juice or other supplements. Either way, a little effect goes a long way when it comes to boosting the metabolism. And while increasing the metabolism due to thyroid disorders may not improve the metabolism to the pre-disorder levels, it can assist in promoting a significant improvement.

Many people worry that the fluoride in green tea may have an adverse effect on the thyroid gland. While this may be true, the fluoride found naturally in food is a vastly different substance than the commercial fluoride found in municipal water and other products such as toothpaste. Additionally, the amount of fluoride in green tea and other teas is minimal in comparison. Therefore, unless unusually high doses are being taken of green tea, researchers say talk with your doctor and that it is likely not a threat.