Originally published February 2 2006
Tea provides a variety of benefits to those who drink it regularly
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Life Extension looks at National Hot Tea Month and the latest studies that suggest tea may not only help people fight off cancer and heart disease, as it has been shown to aid weight loss, as well.
Tea, which studies suggest may be associated with decreased risk of heart disease and cancer, may also help in the battle against the bulge.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that substances in tea may promote weight loss by increasing the amount of energy spent by the body.
The researchers theorize that green tea, which has thermogenic properties that promote fat oxidation as a result of the catechins contained in tea, may work together with other chemicals to increase weight loss.
In the study, healthy young men (average age: 25) ate a typical Western diet for six weeks and took either two green tea extracts (the equivalent of one cup of green tea) plus 50 milligrams of caffeine; 50 milligrams of caffeine only; or a placebo, with each of three meals a day.
Those men taking the green tea extracts, equivalent to a total of three cups of tea per day, experienced a significant increase in the number of calories used in a 24-hour period -- resulting in more fats being metabolized by the body for energy -- than the men taking only the caffeine or the placebo.
Japanese researchers compared the body weight and fat mass of mice that were fed a low-fat or high-fat diet, with swimming or not and with or without tea catechins.
Those mice that were fed a high-fat diet with tea catechins but without exercise showed reduced fat accumulation of 18 percent while exercise alone showed reduced fat accumulation of 14 percent.
"The evidence continues to mount associating tea consumption with reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, and healthy weight.
A multitude of research suggests that drinking tea should be included as part of a healthy diet and may contribute to overall health.
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