 Tea is an ancient beverage with many recorded health benefits. Its weight reduction characteristics have aroused much interest recently and encouraged a few dubious claims. We believe Chinese teas are effective in reducing body weight and treating obesity. This notion is supported by: - empiric traditional Chinese medicine
- modern science research
Teas for weight control purpose could be divided into two groups: - The traditional Chinese teas (beverage) that can assist in weight management: Green tea (including Jasmine green tea ), Oolong/Wulong tea and Pu-erh tea.
- Chinese remedy of mixed herbs and teas designed for weight loss purpose: Natural Shape – Lotus Leaf Herbal Tea.
The following questions and answers may be of assistance to clarify some related issues.
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Why is it easier to gain then lose weight? |
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When we consume more energy than we expend we gain weight.
For most of human history the odds were heavily stacked against this flow ever being positively sustained. So the human body adapted to store the excess - for the day when it was not available.
For our unfortunate ancestors, food, especially high energy food was generally scarce or took lots of energy and risk to hunt down, or had to be shared widely across the tribe, or would go off in a couple of days etc.
It made sense to gorge as much as possible when food was on. Those bodies that could accommodate the additional energy had better survival rates during the inevitable shortages that followed. Aiding this, appetites and stomachs adjusted to accommodate larger meals when available , shortening the odds of survival.
In more recent human society, aided by labour saving devices, the battle for survival has tipped in our favour, the energy flow equation now easily being sustainably positive for large numbers of people - especially in the west.
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What weight reduction achieved by tea? |
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Many studies have been conducted in laboratories and on animals with consistent results that tea drinking can assist in reducing body weight and blood cholesterol level. There is however limited information on how much weight reduction could be achieved in human by drinking tea along. Following are some available indications:
- ‘Physiology & Behavior’ journal: “Effectiveness of green tea on weight reduction in obese Thais: A randomized, controlled trial.” reported 3.3kg weight reduction among obese Thai men over a period of 12 weeks from dinking green tea (compared to those ones who did not).
- Journal of Nutrition: “Oolong tea increases metabolic rate and fat oxidation in men.” The study observed that over 3 days, there was an additional energy expenditure of 281kJ/daily for subjects treated with full-strength tea and a 12% additional fat oxidation.
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