7 Studies Showing Green Tea Will Help Your Patients Burn Fat

Want to know more about how green tea could improve your patients’ health and help burn fat? Check out these 7 studies to see how.

Caffeine

Caffeine is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor; a phosphodiesterase inhibitor prevents the inactivation of the intracellular second messengers cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP).

cAMP activates hormone sensitive lipase, promoting lipolysis and increasing FFAs.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462044/

EGCG & Norepinephrine

Green tea contains a phytonutrient called EGCG that can help inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine.

When this enzyme is inhibited, the amount of norepinephrine increases, promoting fat breakdown.

Specifically, it inhibits catechol-O-methyltransferase, which is an enzyme that degrades catecholamines (such as dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine). Inhibition of this enzyme prevents the degradation of catecholamines.

CCK – Satiation

EGCG increases the hormone CCK (cholecystokinin), which is responsible for creating the feeling of satiation.

CCK slows down intestinal motility as it causes food to move more slowly through the intestines—feel full for a longer period of time.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3

Increased Metabolic Rate

Study – American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Investigated whether green tea extract, by virtue of its high content of caffeine and catechin polyphenols, could increase 24-h energy expenditure (EE) and fat oxidation in humans.

Twenty-four-hour EE, the respiratory quotient (RQ), and the urinary excretion of nitrogen and catecholamines were measured in a respiratory chamber in 10 healthy men.

On 3 separate occasions, subjects were randomly assigned among 3 treatments:

• Green tea extract (50 mg caffeine and 90 mg epigallocatechin gallate),
• Caffeine (50 mg), and
• Placebo, which they ingested at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Relative to placebo, treatment with the green tea extract resulted in a significant increase in 24-h EE (4%).

Twenty-four-hour urinary norepinephrine excretion was higher during treatment with the green tea extract than with the placebo (40%).

Treatment with caffeine in amounts equivalent to those found in the green tea extract had no effect on EE and RQ nor on urinary nitrogen or catecholamines.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1

L-Theanine: Serotonin & Satiation

L-theanine increases brain levels of serotonin, dopamine, and GABA levels. Serotonin acts to increase cholecystokinin and leptin, giving you a “full” feeling.

This is a weaker link, but theanine increases levels of alpha waves, putting you in a focused state of mind. You’d likely be less inclined to eat during this, although there isn’t a published study looking directly at this.

Although there are some studies show that the appetite reducing effects of nicotine are because it increases alpha waves . . .

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2788071/  

L-Theanine: Nitric Oxide

Theanine increases blood flow as it increases the production of nitric oxide in endothelium cells (cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels), which is a gas that widens blood vessels and improves blood flow.

It does this by activating the phosphorylation of eNOS, which regulates NO generation.

A wider, more dilated blood vessel allows for greater blood to flow through it, which means more nutrient rich blood is transported to your muscles, delivering the essentials it needs to repair and grow.

Theanine increases blood flow, which may increase the delivery of fat burning hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22819553

Liver Health

Polyphenols in green tea can help improve liver health. It lowers lipid levels in the body and reduces the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Polyphenols enhance the liver’s ability to produce glutathione. Phase II liver detoxification neutralizes the byproducts of phase I liver detoxification and other remaining toxins.

Under normal conditions, Phase II liver detoxification enzymes produce low levels of glutathione; under times of high toxic stress, the body needs a higher production of glutathione.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24065295

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