Green Tea Burns Fat in Lab Animals,
Especially When
Exercise Is Added
Study description: Lab animals were put on
high-fat diets, then divided into groups receiving green tea extract, no green tea extract,
regular exercise, no exercise, or green tea extract plus exercise.
Type of study: Animal
What happened: After 15 weeks of experimentation, the researchers found that simply taking green tea
extract alone caused a 47%
reduction in body weight gain triggered by the high-fat diet. In other words,
simply adding green tea extract to the diet counteracted almost half the weight
gain seen in the animals that did not receive the extract. When green tea extract was combined with
exercise, however, there was an 89% reduction in weight gain.
Green tea extract also caused a 58% reduction in
visceral (belly) fat accumulation, and increased oxidation of fatty acids in the liver.
Again, the combination of green tea extract and exercise was even more effective.
Researchers' conclusion: The combination of
green tea extract and exercise stimulates the breakdown of fat in the liver and
skeletal muscle.
Citation: Shimotoyodome, A, Haramizu S, Inaba M,
et al. Exercise and green tea extract stimulate fat oxidation and prevent
obesity in mice. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2005;37(11):1884-92. (Click here to read PubMed study
abstract.)
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Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. presents
GreenTeaLibrary.com, the most comprehensive collection of scientific
information describing the health benefits of green tea.
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