Managing Your Weight with Black Tea

This is because research continues to demonstrate the potential health benefits of green tea and its main constituent, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). One of the many proposed benefits of green tea is as a weight loss aid. While green tea continues to shine, the potential benefits of other teas (black tea, white tea, and oolong tea) for weight loss are not as well studied.

A new weight loss research report published online ahead of print in the journal Nutrition, examined the possible benefits of a black tea extract rich in black tea polyphenols (antioxidants) for weight loss in pre-clinical animal studies[1]. In their first study, weight loss researchers measured the activity of an enzyme responsible for lipid (fat) absorption in a cell culture system. Additional studies determined the effects of this black tea polyphenol extract on blood lipid levels in rats and body weight in mice. The results of these studies were very positive:

The black tea polyphenol extract substantially reduced the activity of the enzyme involved in fat absorption.
In rats, consumption of the black tea extract supported healthy blood lipid levels with greater amounts providing better benefits.
In mice fed a high fat diet, the black tea extract fed as 5% of the diet prevented increases in body weight and fat mass.

Overall, these results suggest that black tea polyphenols, plant chemicals with antioxidant properties, might support healthy weight loss and reduce body fat due to their ability to reduce fat absorption. While these initial results are very positive and quite intriguing, it is important to remember that these studies were done in pre-clinical models and additional research in human subjects will be needed. In the rat study, the lowest dose tested was 500 mg/kg of body weight. This would be equal to 35 grams of black tea polyphenols in a person that weighs about 150 lbs, which is a massive amount! Therefore, studies to determine if lower doses are effective will be needed. While additional research into the weight loss benefits of black tea are clearly needed, this new research suggests that black tea might have a future place as part of a healthy weight management plan.

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