According to researchers, green tea could reduce weight gain and help in fighting obesity. Obese mice that ate a high-fat diet along with the green tea compound EGCG (Epigallocatechin-3-gallate) gained weight significantly more slowly compared to a control group of mice which didn’t get the green tea supplement.
2 groups of mice were fed a high-fat diet. The mice which were fed a high-fat diet along with EGCG gained weight 45% more slowly compared to the control group of mice having the same diet with no EGCG. The results indicate that you gain weight more slowly if you supplement with green tea or EGCG. As well as reduced weight gain, the mice that had the green tea supplement exhibited an almost 30% increase in fecal lipids, indicating that the EGCG was restricting fat absorption. There appears to be two aspects to this, EGCG enhances the ability to use fat and also reduces the ability to absorb fat.
Green tea didn’t seem to suppress appetite, as both groups of mice had the same quantity of high-fat food and could eat at any time. There was no difference in the quantity of food the mice ate. They were essentially eating a milkshake, except one group was eating a milkshake together with green tea.
According to the researchers, a person would have to drink 10 cups of green tea daily to match the quantity of EGCG made use of in the study. However, they said current research indicates that just drinking a few cups of green tea could help control weight.
Other studies have revealed that lean mice didn’t gain as much weight when a high fat diet is supplemented with green tea. Studying mice which are already overweight is however more relevant to humans because individuals often think about dietary changes only once problems linked to obesity start to manifest.
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