Three cups of green tea a day beat obesity
DRINKING three cups of green tea a day for 12 weeks can result in significant weight loss.
A study of 1,340 people found body weight and body mass index were reduced over three months.
The tea is loaded with antioxidants, which help to protect the body against a range of diseases.
Researchers believe the drink could help obese people lose weight by boosting metabolism and limiting appetite.
Professor Ying Lin, from Jinan Municipal Hospital in
Elly Blake
China, said: “Considering the results, green tea supplementation is likely to be associated with a decrease in body weight and body mass index in obese patients.
“We suggest that the use of green tea can be combined with a balanced and healthy diet and regular physical exercise in the management of obese patients.”
Regular green tea drinkers were also found to have a lower risk of heart disease and cancer, due to its high amount of antioxidants.
The study, published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, found that drinking fewer than 800 milligrams per day was the ideal amount for helping lose weight.
Drinking too much can cause headaches, nausea and vomiting.
The findings, which are the result of 26 trials, suggest that the longer green tea was drunk, the more drastic the weight loss. Previous studies have also linked green tea to losing weight.
One found that people who exercised for 180 minutes a week and drank catechins, an important compound in green tea, had a greater percentage change in abdominal fat than people who had consumed no catechins.
The catechins are thought to inhibit carbohydrate digestion and absorption.
Body weight changes were most obvious after green tea was drunk for longer than three months.