If you enjoy drinking tea regularly then you probably know it’s healthy and delicious. Studies show that drinking 2-3 cups of tea per day has been found to lower one’s risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and premature death. But can tea help you lose weight?
According to researchers, tea may play a role in weight loss. It has catechins, which has been found to boost metabolism by signaling the body to increase the rate that it burns calories and breaks down fat.
Catechins have strong antioxidant properties and tea has 4 types of these compounds namely: epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epicatechin gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin (EGC).
There quite a few tea varieties. The traditional types are black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong. Traditional teas are harvested from the Camellia sinensis leaves that have already dried. Although these 4 varieties come from the same plant, they have unique properties and flavors due to the way they have been processed, the variety of the plant and the geographical location.
Although more research is still needed to fully understand the impact of tea on weight loss, experts agree that unsweetened and plain brewed tea is healthy. By not adding flavors, sweeteners and other mixes, you may be able to shed excess pounds when you drink tea regularly.
That said, let’s take a look at the teas that have been found to help with weight loss:
Green Tea
Of all the teas, green tea has the most research to back up its effects on weight loss. Green tea is a mild, slightly sweet, and a bit bitter tea. Those who drink it regularly twice a day has been found to have lower body fat percentage than those who don’t. This tea has calorie burning effects from the caffeine and EGCG it contains, as these target specifically the fat cells and improve fat oxidation.
Black Tea
Black tea leaves soak up the surrounding air (oxidize) for a lot longer than other teas after they are harvested. As a result, the flavor is more intense and bold. Fermentation, which is a technique that involves prolonged oxidation, also alters the makeup of the polyphenols in the tea. Black tea contains EGCG but more than that it has theaflavins as well which offer weight loss benefits. The polyphenols also fights gut bacteria associated with obesity.
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is a partially oxidized tea which means it’s milder than black tea but stronger than green tea. Oolong has theaflavins and catechins which means it can help promote weight loss. Oolong’s fat-burning effects may also result in weight loss by boosting lipid metabolism.
White Tea
The light and delicate white tea is the least processed of the traditional teas. Because it only had minimal processing, white tea has a lot of EGCG and antioxidants which make it effective in shedding fat. This tea has also been found to speed up the breakdown of fat cells which further leads to its weight loss effects.
Hibiscus Tea
Hibiscus tea is an herbal tea and it is harvested from the leaves of the hibiscus plant. It has catechins to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Drinking this tea for 12 weeks has also been found to reduce weight, body fat and BMI in some studies.
The next time you work out at Soul Cycle, drink a cup of tea an hour before. That way you can enhance your metabolism even more.
Here’s a tutorial on the correct way to brew tea: