The body’s metabolism is a set of chemical reactions that convert the food consumed by us into energy. The body needs the energy to carry out tasks like physical activities and bodily processes such as breathing and even thinking.
And when it comes to metabolism and weight loss connection, studies say that when your metabolism gets a boost, it helps in losing weight. A fast metabolism equates to more calories burned.
Many people believe that they are overweight due to a slow metabolism. However, this is not the case!
Metabolism is linked to weight but excess weight gain does not occur due to a slow metabolism. What actually determines your weight is the food and drink you consume in addition to your physical activity levels.
If you want to be healthy, you should definitely make green tea a part of your life. It has numerous health benefits to offer that can improve your health in several ways.
However, are the claims that it helps speed up the body’s metabolism true? There are a lot of companies that are selling their green tea with such claims without any solid scientific backing.
So, let’s find out if green tea really helps boost metabolism or not!
Green Tea and Metabolism Connection
Green tea contains catechins that prevent fat cells from absorbing glucose. The same catechins regulate the post-meal insulin hike. It is essential to keep insulin levels in check. More the insulin more is the fat stored in your body.
Scientific evidence also says that the polyphenols, catechins, and caffeine in green tea help in increasing thermogenesis in the body which is the burning of stored energy.
Moreover, the presence of caffeine and flavonoids in green tea increases the body’s metabolism and breaks down extra fat.
As mentioned earlier, metabolism is a bodily process that converts food into energy. By drinking green tea the metabolism of the body speeds up. This is helpful for weight loss.
Additionally, catechins along with caffeine help in increasing the energy used by the body.
You should exercise every day and consume a balanced diet to lose weight. But drinking green tea can help you out with weight management.
According to studies, EGCG and polyphenols in green tea help one burn 70-100 extra calories a day. You can enjoy this benefit by drinking 24 oz of green tea every day.
Along with that, green tea helps in boosting the rate of fat burning in the body.
Now, when it comes to weight loss, a study on rats shows that green tea lowers body fat. However, these studies have not been carried out on humans.
In addition to that, a study found that weight loss with the help of green tea is quite insignificant for obese and overweight individuals.
So, it is not yet clear whether you can lose weight just by drinking green tea or not. As a matter of fact, all the claims that green tea boosts your metabolism do not have enough scientific evidence.
Research is limited in this regard. This means that you cannot blindly believe the ‘magical weight loss‘ label given to green tea.
Note – Green tea is considered to be a better option than black tea because it is an unprocessed and unfermented variant of tea. No wonder it is an intrinsic part of the culture of Asian countries like China and Japan.
Green tea and metabolism studies
Let’s have a look at what another study has to say. In a study conducted in Switzerland, participants were divided into 3 groups. The first group consumed 50 mg of green tea extract, the second group had 50 mg of caffeine and the third one had a placebo.
Group #1 showed a 4.5% increase in energy expenditure.
What do you think of this? Does green tea boost metabolism or really help in weight loss? Well, the answer can be both a yes and a no!
In the long run, doing whatever is possible to boost your metabolism and reduce weight will be helpful for you. A 4.5% increase in energy expenditure is a good sign.
However, it is not practical to expect 2 cups of green tea to help an obese individual to lose weight.
If a person consumes 1500 calories a day, 4.5% of it is merely 60 calories and that does not make a huge difference.
It may not help on its own but can get added to the other efforts you are making to boost your metabolism.
So, you need to try other ways of increasing your metabolism too, and not just stick to drinking green tea.
Well, a lot of people swear that by switching over to green tea, they have been able to lose a lot of weight.
However, the truth is that if you have been drinking sugar-laden coffee or a creamy frappe in the past, the switch will reduce the number of calories you consume in a day and therefore naturally lead to weight loss.
So, you can’t say that you have lost weight just because of drinking green tea. Cutting back on sugar and milk also has a role to play.
Getting the truth out of the myth!
Does green tea boost metabolism?
Evidence does exist showing that the compounds in green tea (the catechins and polyphenols) improve digestion and eliminate toxins that slow down your metabolism.
Also, drinking green tea post meals helps reduce your cravings for sugary foods by reducing insulin levels in the blood.
In addition, green tea helps in reducing your appetite. As a result, you would consume fewer calories. It may sound good in theory but the studies carried out in this regard have come up with contradicting results.
Coming back to the green tea and metabolism connection, when you drink green tea, both catechins and caffeine join hands to improve your metabolism.
EGCG helps you burn calories even at rest. As already stated with green tea you can burn 3-4% more calories per day than usual.
So, this myth is not untrue, it has a bit of reality!
You can undoubtedly add green tea to your weight loss diet and lose those unwanted pounds. It is definitely better than a cube of sugar and cream-loaded mocha!
Additionally, the quantity of green tea that you consume is important. Since green tea contains naturally occurring caffeine, too much caffeine intake can make you feel sluggish and give you the jitters.
My Final thoughts
Drinking green tea does boost metabolism but it cannot do wonders on its own. It can, however, be a part of a healthy lifestyle but cannot induce weight loss the way it is advertised by food companies.
If you want to be healthy, you should definitely make green tea a part of your life. It has numerous health benefits to offer that can improve your health in several ways.
It keeps your appetite in check, increases energy, and gives the metabolism a boost.
You can drink up to 2 to 3 cups to aid weight loss as per the research done in the University of Maryland Medical Centre. However, the amount required to see actual results are not the same for everyone as it depends on the body’s natural metabolism.
If you want to see actual weight loss, you must follow an exercise routine that includes cardio as well as weight training.
You must take care of your diet too and ensure that it is rich in whole grains, veggies, fruits, and lean meats.
Therefore, by creating a balance between exercise and diet, you can lose weight and stay slim.