Visceral fat, also known as belly fat, is stored in your abdominal cavity, sharing space with important organs such as the liver, stomach, kidneys, and intestines. This risky positioning means that having high levels of visceral fat can increase the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Finding ways to reduce visceral fat is therefore vital.
Research suggests that drinking catechin-enriched green tea can significantly reduce belly fat within weeks.
What is catechin enriched green tea?
Green tea leaves are steamed or roasted to prevent oxidation, which means they retain their green color and fresh flavor.
Green tea contains a group of antioxidants called polyphenols, which make up to 30% of its dry weight. Most of them are flavonols, commonly called catechins.
Recent findings from human studies have shown that consumption of green tea and green tea extracts can help reduce body weight and fat, by increasing our body’s metabolism and fat oxidation.
READ MORE: Visceral fat: The snack shown to increase belly fat loss “by 81%” – consume regularly
Several studies suggest that green tea helps “speed up your metabolism so you burn more calories, even when you’re resting,” Holland and Barrett report.
What the evidence says
A noteworthy study published in the Functional Foods Journalstudied the effects of catechin-enriched green tea on Chinese adults with a high proportion of visceral fat.
Subjects (118) were randomly assigned to consume a drink containing 609.3 mg of catechins and 68.7 mg of caffeine or a control drink daily for 12 weeks. Visceral fat area, body weight, and composition were measured at week zero, week eight, and week 12.
One hundred and four subjects completed the trial. Mean visceral fat area, body weight, and body fat were “significantly” reduced by catechin-enriched green tea treatment, but these effects were not seen in the control group, the researchers wrote. .
DO NOT MISS
Dementia: Breakfast habit linked to increased risk [ADVICE]
High blood pressure: Pfizer recalls a drug that is too risky [INSIGHT]
High Cholesterol: The Cheap Food That Eliminates “Bad” Cholesterol [TIPS]
The decrease at week 12 in visceral fat area in the catechin group was greater than that in the control group.
“Thus, consumption of the catechin-enriched green tea beverage for 12 weeks induced visceral fat loss in Chinese adults with a high proportion of abdominal visceral fat,” the researchers concluded.
How Much Green Tea Should I Drink?
How many cups of green tea you should drink per day to lose weight is up for debate.
Holland and Barret explain, “Opinions vary on this, with some studies suggesting you only need to drink one cup a day, while others say you should drink between three and five cups a day.
According to the health organization, drinking two to three cups of green tea a day seems like a smart option if you’re trying to lose weight, or if you’re just swapping all your hot beverages for green tea.
“Everyone is different, and so is our metabolism and caffeine tolerance, so play around and see which intake works best for you.”
As he points out, green tea is very low in calories and has so many suggested health benefits that it’s unlikely to harm you.
Other Important Tips
Regular exercise can also deal a decisive blow to belly fat.
“Any form of exercise for at least 30 minutes a day is good for you,” says Bupa.
The health body continues: “Take advantage of every opportunity to get in shape, whether you are at home, at work or with friends. This could include cycling to work or getting off the bus or train a or two stops earlier.
There are many exercises you can try, but “combining resistance (strength) exercises with cardiovascular exercises is ideal,” he says.
“But, if you’re capable and want a boost in your exercise regimen, I would definitely recommend doing some high-intensity interval training (or HIIT for short).”
Read the original article here
Comments are closed.