2009 Studies & Research Blog

It has been well established that supplementation with green tea extracts induce favorable changes in both human and animal metabolic parameters. Available research suggests that Green tea extracts can:

• Reduce lipogenesis 1
• Exert antioxidant activity 2
• Lower cholesterol and up regulate the hepatic LDL receptor 3
• Prevent memory regression 4

And just when you think that’s all there is to green tea extract supplementation, a new study conducted by researchers at The University of Birmingham (UK) adds yet another finding to the aforementioned list.

Venables et al. from the Human performance laboratory at The University of Birmingham assessed the effects of a green tea extract on 2 parameters in healthy young men:

1. fat oxidation during moderate intensity (cycling at 60% VO2 max)
2. Insulin sensitivity after a glucose tolerance test.

At the end of the trial, the researchers observed that fat oxidation was 17% higher after ingestion of green tea extract than after ingestion of placebo during moderate intensity exercise. Concurrently, the contribution of fat oxidation to total energy expenditure was significantly higher albeit by a similar percentage than that of the placebo.

Finally, they observed an increase of 13% in insulin sensitivity after ingesting green tea extract.

1- Wolfram S, Wang Y, Thielecke F. Anti-obesity effects of green tea: from bedside to bench. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2006 Feb;50(2):176-87. Review

5- Venables MC, Hulston CJ, Cox HR, Jeukendrup AE. Green tea extract ingestion, fat oxidation, and glucose tolerance in healthy humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Mar;87(3):778-84.