In 2009 the Journal of Nutrition created a stir when it published a study demonstrating green tea's ability to melt belly fat. Researchers took two groups of people and gave one group green tea, another a placebo. Scientists then asked each group to exercise, but did not prescribe any particular diet. At the end of the study, the group consuming green tea lost an increased amount of belly fat compared to the control group.
The Problem with Green Tea Vitamins
Due to the study, interest in green tea has surged. While study participants drank as much as five cups of tea a day, sustaining that level of consumption for the long term is difficult for most people. As a result, many consumers turned to green tea supplements, often referred to as green tea vitamins. The problem with these green tea supplements is that, until recently, their purity and contents were unverified.
Enter Consumer Labs.com, an independent third party lab that tests nutritional supplements for purity and determines if the product's contents matches the claims on the label. Unfortunately, most of the green tea vitamins sold on the market did not pass Consumer Labs' testing protocols.
The majority of green tea supplements tested did not contain the advertised levels of catechins, the active ingredient in green tea that gets rid of belly fat. Without the right levels of catechins it's not possible to achieve green tea weight loss.
Green Tea Vitamins Contain Carcinogens and Caffeine
In addition, several brands attempted to boost green tea weight loss by adding chromium to their green tea vitamin. While chromium has shown some promise as a weight loss aid, the form of chromium used in green tea supplements can cause kidney or liver damage and is a known carcinogen as well.
Lastly, caffeine is added to most green tea supplements, often times in large amounts. Some green tea vitamins contained as much caffeine as three cups of coffee... per pill! Considering the recommended dosage consists of multiple pills, consumers can say goodbye to sleep! Even more importantly, the 2009 study controlled for caffeine meaning its presence is unnecessary for losing belly fat.
Stick to Drinking Green Tea
While green tea is actually effective at melting belly fat, it is definitely dieter beware when it comes to taking a green tea vitamin. For the time being it is safest (albeit inconvenient) to stick with drinking green tea in order to safely and effectively aid weight loss efforts.
References:
Suite 101.com,"Green Tea and Weight Loss" (accessed March 19, 2010).
Denver Post,"Green Tea a Belly Fat Buster" (accessed March 19,2010).
The Journal of Nutrition,"Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults" (accessed March 19, 2010).
Michelle Rasey - Michelle R. Rasey has extensive expertise in International Business and Health. She holds two BA degrees and an alternative medical ...
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