Green Tea Extract for Weight Loss in 2024 (Expert Guide)
Oftentimes, when we’re trying to lose weight, we find ourselves fighting an uphill battle where it seems that everything is trying to conspire against us. If you’ve recently read about the effectiveness of supplementing with green tea extract for weight loss, you might have your hopes up, believing you’ve discovered a magic pill that will help you shed those unwanted pounds in a matter of weeks.
Well, sadly, magic pills for weight loss don’t really exist. However, green tea extract is a highly potent supplement that may aid your weight loss journey in more than one way. So, if you want to find out more, our guide aims to shed more light on the subject.
About Green Tea Extract and Weight Loss Supplements
Over the years, green tea extract has come to be used in the majority of premium weight loss pills, and it became known for keeping the body healthy and aiding everyday bodily functions. It’s loaded with antioxidants, and some even believe that if they start supplementing with green tea extract, weight loss will practically happen on its own.
It’s no wonder some people might be under the impression that green tea (or the extract) might be a miracle drug, as the supplement industry pumps out enticing names, like Triple Action Green Tea Fat Burner and the like. It might seem like people just have to take these pills or drink the beverage and the fat just magically melts off. As such, they also help the industry generate $140 million annually.
Now, don’t get us wrong. We’re not bashing these supplements, because they do work. However, the link between green tea extract and weight loss is more modest. In the following sections, we will do our best to scrutinize all the available evidence to give you a clearer picture of the compound and how it can help you lose weight.
Green Tea Extract Ingredients That Can Help You Lose Fat
It’s no secret that green tea extract does boast a myriad of beneficial compounds. And when it comes to weight loss, most experts will tell you that caffeine, along with EGCG, is the most crucial when it comes to shedding unwanted pounds. So, when it comes to green tea extract and fat loss, caffeine plays a crucial role. Even though there’s less caffeine in green tea than in coffee, there’s still enough to produce a mild effect.
As you may know, caffeine has been found to help in losing fat and improving exercise performance in several cases. On the other hand, there are also potent antioxidants or catechins in green tea, which can also be beneficial in losing weight. This primarily refers to the already mentioned EGCG, or epigallocatechin gallate, which may also help boost metabolism.
So far, studies suggest that some active compounds in green tea may help break down fat and move it into the bloodstream by boosting the effects of noradrenaline and other fat-burning hormones. In other words, when it comes to EGCG in green tea extract and weight loss, this antioxidant can help inhibit enzymes that break down noradrenaline, increasing the amount of the hormone and promoting fat breakdown.
Apart from that, some studies suggest that EGCG and caffeine might have a synergistic effect. So far, scientific evidence looks quite promising. Let’s see what else green tea extract supplements can do for you in your journey of reaching your ideal weight.
Best Time to Take Green Tea Extract for Weight Loss
It’s no secret that most fat loss supplements use green tea extract as the main ingredient. As it has been linked to better fat breakdown during exercise, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. For instance, in one study, participants taking green tea extract supplements managed to burn 17% more fat than those who did not take anything. With this in mind, taking these products before exercising would make sense.
Furthermore, another study looking at the links between weight loss and green tea extract showed that catechins managed to increase fat burning both during rest time and exercise. The majority of the scientific experiments in this field show a 3% to 4% increase in overall metabolic rate, while some show values as high as 8%. On the other hand, some experiments have shown that green tea extract might not boost metabolism, which leads experts to believe that this effect may depend mostly on the individual.
Green Tea Extract as an Appetite Suppressant
Another huge topic when it comes to the effectiveness of green tea extract in losing weight is that it might be able to suppress your appetite, curb food cravings, and as such, enable you to consume fewer calories altogether.
Some online sources claim that certain types of green tea (like sencha tea) can help curb hunger pangs and strengthen vital organs like the pancreas, stomach, spleen, liver, and intestinal mucosa. On the other hand, African hoodia tea is also believed to act as a good appetite suppressant.
Regarding the scientific evidence of the ability of green tea extract to suppress appetite, studies came to conflicting conclusions. For instance, there are animal experiments that show that EGCG supplements and green tea extract might curb the amount of fat one can absorb from food, but this hasn’t been confirmed in humans yet.
All in all, supplementing with green tea extract may do a better job at helping you burn more fat and calories than actually helping you eat less. With that in mind, focus your weight loss program more around exercise and healthy, low-calorie food choices if you fear that you will accidentally overeat when on a diet.
Green Tea Extract for Weight Loss and Possible Side Effects
Generally speaking, drinking up to five cups of green tea per day should be safe for most healthy adults. In some people, the compound can cause stomach problems and constipation, and in rarer cases, it may cause liver or kidney problems (especially when taking higher doses than the recommended daily allowance. Also, high doses of green tea consumed for longer periods may lead to:
- headaches
- sleep problems
- vomiting
- nervousness
- dizziness
- diarrhea
- irritability
- tremors
- heartburn
- irregular heartbeat
- confusion
Green Tea Extract and Children
Generally, some experts will advise against children using green tea extract to lose weight, mainly because not enough is known about its safety when taken orally by kids. Given the fact that it leads to liver problems in some adults, some professionals will advise not to use the compound at all under the age of 18.
Nursing Women
Among the biggest concerns in these cases is the amount of caffeine that passes into breast milk that may affect the nursing child. Monitoring caffeine intake and keeping it low (at most two or three cups daily) will help avoid signs of high caffeine intake in breast-fed infants, like sleep problems, increased bowel activity, and irritability.
Other Things to Know When Supplementing With Green Tea Extract for Weight Loss
- Anxiety disorders: The caffeine in the compound might worsen already existing anxiety problems.
- Heart conditions: High caffeine consumption may lead to irregular heartbeat.
- Glaucoma: Drinking green tea may increase eye pressure.
- Liver disease: These supplements have been linked to liver problems in rare cases. So far, it seems that already existing liver damage can become worse with green tea extract supplements. As such, it’s always paramount that you speak with your doctor before starting supplementing with these compounds.
- High blood pressure: When you’re using green tea extract to lose weight, you should also know that the caffeine in the compound might worsen blood pressure problems in people who are already experiencing similar complications. On the other hand, these problems might be less pronounced in those individuals who consume caffeine already on a regular basis.
As you can see, these compounds might lead to some negative side effects. That being the case, always be cautious, consult your doctor and avoid consuming more than your recommended daily dosage.
Green Tea Extract Weight Loss Dosage
When it comes to the most effective dosages, we can turn to studies for guidance. For instance, a study showed that 270 to 1,200 mg of green tea catechins per day should be able to aid in weight loss (of course, the upper values are way above the recommended daily dosage).
In other experiments, treatments were administered as tablets of 500 mg green tea extract, 400 mg tyrosine, or 50 mg caffeine, and only caffeine exhibited a thermogenic effect. Other studies showed that 890 mg of green tea extract (again, which is more than the recommended daily dose) helped people burn fat more efficiently. All in all, dosage and weight loss efficacy is a bit more complex topic than it may seem at first.
As most experts believe that the metabolism-boosting and thermogenic effects are mostly caused by the compound’s caffeine content, even with the right green tea extract dosage, your weight loss efforts will also depend on your caffeine tolerance. Those who can’t handle the compound very well should stay away from larger doses, while those who already have a higher tolerance to caffeine might need to consume larger amounts, potentially risking the problems related to overusing caffeine.
As a rule of thumb, it’s safe to assume that staying within the daily recommended dosages (250 to 500 mg of green tea extract a day or 3–5 cups of tea) might help dieters lose more weight without suffering from large-dose green tea extract fat burner side effects.
On the other hand, focusing on green tea extract alone probably won’t help most individuals in their weight loss journey. The best (and healthiest) weight loss programs will also require a strict diet and a regular training regimen, along with a line of healthy lifestyle changes. Using a weight loss supplement on top of all that may help you maximize your weight loss potential, but alone, it probably won’t yield the desired results.
Conclusion
As you can see, the connections between green tea extract and metabolism are intricate and complex. If your main goal is to lose weight, your best bet should always be asking for professional help. Start with your general health practitioner, as they will help you outline the best weight loss regimen for you, along with the best supplements that will help you reach your goals.
And even if you find that you don’t respond that well to the compound’s weight-loss-aiding characteristics, the high antioxidant concentration alone can make your diet journey healthier.
FAQs
Does green tea extract help you lose weight?
The short answer would be “it depends.” According to an older study, using green tea extract did help to boost thermogenesis in the body and increase calorie-expenditure. However, there’s also a newer study that found no correlation between green tea extract and increased weight loss.
Most experts believe that caffeine is mainly responsible for green tea extract’s weight loss properties. As such, they also mention that those individuals who already consume more than 300 mg of caffeine a day (or three cups of coffee) might not experience the beneficial effects of caffeine when it comes to shedding excess pounds. Even then, supplementing with reliable green tea extract products can make sense, because their high antioxidant concentration can aid healthy weight loss in several ways.
How much green tea extract to lose weight?
As already stated above, based on your caffeine consumption, there’s no golden rule when it comes to assessing the sweet spot in green tea extract dosage and optimal weight loss. A good rule of thumb might be sticking to the recommended daily dosages of 250 to 500 mg a day. This way, you can ensure that you’re maximizing your green tea extract intake without any potential side effects.
Also, make sure to use products from reputable brands, as better products might also contain isolated catechins that might benefit your overall well-being apart from possibly helping your weight loss as well. Likewise, you shouldn’t forget that there’s much more to diet than just using high-quality fat burner supplements and finding the best green tea extract dosage for weight loss.
A good weight-loss program is a fine blend of a solid workout regimen, lifestyle changes, and diet alterations. These supplements will only aid you in your weight loss journey, but they won’t do the hard work for you. As such, try to focus on the bigger picture and always consult your doctor before committing to a supplement or a weight loss program.
Can green tea extract help you lose weight?
As already mentioned above, some research suggests that green tea extract may help you lose weight, while other studies didn’t find an obvious link between the compound and weight loss. Most experts believe that caffeine and EGCG play a major role in the process. That being said, both those who don’t tolerate caffeine and those who are already consuming large amounts may not benefit so profoundly from its thermo-boosting effects.
On the other hand, the high concentration of antioxidants in green tea extract may help create a better overall environment in the body for optimal weight loss.
When is the best time to take green tea extract for weight loss?
Generally speaking, most experts would advise taking these capsules with food as taking them on an empty stomach may cause problems. Also, there’s research out there that suggests that using these capsules for weight loss might yield even better results when taken around exercise as it may help increase the entire fat burning process by up to 17%.
Does green tea extract reduce belly fat?
From all the data and facts gathered here, it is clear that green tea extract for weight loss can be a beneficial thing in a dieter’s journey to lose excess pounds. However, dieters should know that the compound shows contradictory characteristics in different studies when looking at green tea extract’s direct effects on weight loss.
That being said, you can still take these supplements to shed off those unwanted pounds. However, be prepared that taking the capsules will just be a part of the battle. Without a good diet and a solid workout regimen, results will most likely be lacking.