Weight Loss, Cancer Protection and
Great Health
It’s All There in Green and White Tea
by the Healthy Living Magazine Health Experts
 Consumption
of green tea increases thermogenesis as well as energy expenditure
and fat loss in healthy men, suggesting that green tea in liquid or
capsule form may be an effective way to aid weight loss, say
researchers. However, the supercritically extracted
New Chapter Green & White Tea brings you the full spectrum
powers of green tea’s least processed cousin, White Tea. As you will
learn, green tea is a powerful overall health aid, but white tea is
the real superhero.
Don’t be surprised if the editor of this story is
drinking a cup of white tea as he hones these words to razor sharp
perfection. And don’t be surprised if you find that imbibing three to
five cups of green or white tea daily not only brings your health to a
whole new level of perfection, but also helps you to sculpt that razor
sharp body you know is longing to emerge from beneath the folds of fat
hiding away the real you.
After water, green tea is the second-most consumed
liquid in the world—ranging from the British afternoon teatime and the
samovars in Russia, to the teapots in China— although occasional
drinkers may take it as merely something that goes along with their
Chinese cuisine. They underestimate the benefits of this tea, which
contains more antioxidants than a serving of broccoli, spinach,
carrots, or strawberries.
The leaves of the tea plant have been used since
3000 BC both as a social and medicinal beverage, according to the
Italian journal Il Farmaco. Traditional Chinese Medicine has
recommended green tea for headaches, body aches, digestion,
detoxification, an energizer, and for boosting immune defenses. This
same article maps out the distribution of minerals and flavonoids in
the tea plant, and it also brings up a term, catechins, thought to
play fundamental roles as anti-allergant, antioxidant, anticancer,
anti-atherosclerotic, and antibacterial agents. In another report, the
incidence of stroke was significantly lower in people who drank more
than five cups of green tea a day.
Green Tea Capsules Spur Weight Loss
Green tea is also one of the most thermogenic herbs
in the world. With ephedra effectively banned by the Food and Drug
Administration because of the potential havoc it wreaks on those with
high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma, and other conditions,
green tea could be considered a much better substitution, as it
protects against heart disease by reducing cholesterol and
triglycerides and lowering blood pressure, and aids with weight loss
by curbing appetite and reducing fat accumulation.
Much of the research we now have on green tea is
thanks to Abdul Dulloo, from the Institute of Physiology at the
University of Geneva in Switzerland. In a human clinical trial
reported on in the December 1999 American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, Dr. Dulloo found that treatment with green tea extract
resulted in a significant increase in 24-hour energy expenditure. His
team concludes, “Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat
oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se. The
green tea extract may play a role in the control of body composition
via sympathetic activation of thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both.”
Another study by Dr. Dulloo in the March 2000 issue
of the International Journal of Obesity also concludes that green tea
extract increases the burning of calories and fat needed to lose
weight. In the second study, researchers exposed a particular type of
fatty tissue from rats to caffeine and to green tea extract. Green tea
containing caffeine significantly increased thermogenesis by 28 to 77
percent, depending on dose, whereas caffeine alone resulted in no
significant increase. The compound responsible for thermogenesis
appears to be catechin polyphenols.
A perhaps even more profound study comes to us from
South Korea’s Kunsan National University. The aim of the study was to
investigate body fat-suppressive effects of green tea in rats fed a
high-fat diet. Among the findings were that feeding a high-fat diet
containing water extract of green tea prevented increase in body fat
and energy expenditure was increased. “Therefore,” says the
researcher, “it appeared that green tea exerts potent body
fat-suppressive effects in rats fed on a high-fat diet…”
Here are the key points:
- Already lauded as a powerful antioxidant, green
tea extract may also help dieters shed fat.
- This effect is not linked to the relatively small
amounts of caffeine found in tea, since the study subjects receiving
amounts of caffeine similar to those found in green tea displayed no
change in daily energy output.
- There are only two ways to treat obesity: reduce
energy intake (i.e., dieting) or increase energy expenditure (green
tea extract seems to perform the latter function).
- Green doesn’t raise heart rate.
- It stimulates thermogenesis and fat oxidation.
- The Dulloo study subjects had a significant
increase (four percent) in daily energy expenditure.
Energy Without the Jitters
L-theanine, an amino acid, is one of the key
nutrients found in green tea. As it works directly with the brain, it
may provide neuroprotection against focal cerebral ischemia (lack of
blood supply to the brain) and may be clinically useful for preventing
cerebral infarction (tissue death of the brain due to a lack of
oxygen). Its inhibiting effects on caffeine, a naturally occurring
substance in tea, have been investigated (Biosci Biotechnol Biochem,
2000;64(2):287-93), which may explain why tea drinkers hardly deal
with any jitters compared with coffee fiends.
Furthermore, there is evidence that theanine works
together with the small amount of caffeine to suppress weight gain and
fat gain. A study done at Shizuoka University, Japan, at the beginning
of this year, in which over the course of 16 weeks female mice were
fed diets consisting of 2 percent green tea powder, containing 0.3
percent catechins, 0.05 percent caffeine and 0.03 percent theanine,
noted, “The triglyceride level in the liver was significantly reduced
by catechins and catechins [plus] theanine in comparison with the
control. These results indicated that at least caffeine and theanine
were responsible for the suppressive effect of green tea powder on
body weight increase and fat accumulation. Moreover, it was shown that
catechins and caffeine were synergistic in anti-obesity activities.”
Another group found in tea, catechins, are flavonoid
phytochemical compounds. Catechins have significant antioxidant power
and may prove to be important heart-healthy agents combating lipid
peroxidation within cell membranes lining arterial walls and reducing
formation of atherosclerotic plaque (cholesterol). The most prominent
catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), makes up about 10 to 50
percent of the total catechin content and appears to be the most
powerful of the catechins—with antioxidant activity about 25 to 100
times more potent than vitamins C and E.
White Tea: The Forgotten Beverage
Although lately green tea has been receiving much of
the glory in the tea category, we should not forget about its
lesser-known sibling, white tea. This least processed tea, though not
as familiar in this part of the world, is now receiving a large
measure of respect. (Both kinds are now combined together in a new
dietary supplement we will tell you more about at the end of this
article.)
White tea is the least processed tea of all—its
leaves and buds are only steamed and dried, which give it a pale color
and a slightly sweet flavor—therefore keeping the antioxidants intact.
Despite its “introduction” to the American audience through media
outlets like the Washington Post and the Today show, white tea has
been harvested since China’s Tang dynasty (618-907 AD). There are many
variations within this subset as well, depending on how early the buds
are picked, and if they are infused with leaves of other flowers, such
as peony, chrysanthemum, jasmine or rose.
Evidence of Protection Against Colon Cancer
Research substantiates that the components in white
tea are even more health-promoting than green tea. Gayle A. Orner,
Ph.D., and her colleagues with the Linus Pauling Institute in Oregon
State University, compared white tea’s anticancer benefits with those
of green tea and sulindac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
known to prevent progression of colon cancer and decrease the death
rate. Consuming green tea alone reduced the number of tumors to 17.
White tea reduced the number to 13. But a combination of sulindac and
white tea produced 80 percent fewer tumors—an average of 6.
This same institute determined that white tea was
more effective than green tea because the former has overall higher
concentrations of several major polyphenols, like gallic acid,
theobromine (a bitter alkaloid closely related to caffeine), and the
other catechins epicatechin gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin (EGC).
Because of its unique nature, white tea can be quite
pricey for consumers who want to improve their health. According to
one website, two ounces of the coveted tea ranges from $7 to $16.
Best of Both Worlds
 We
love green tea. You should too, whether you imbibe the tea as part of
a relaxing daily ritual (thanks to its theanine content) or make green
tea part of your nutritional supplement program via capsules.
But, we always like to hedge our bets. That’s why we
like what
New Chapter has done. The Brattleboro, Vermont-based probiotic
nutrient company has produced
Green and White Tea, so we receive the best of both worlds.
That’s a better idea.
But what’s superb about Green and White Tea is that
the
supercritically extracted herb contains the full symphony of
active compounds found in the whole herb. That’s the value of
supercritical extraction, especially in cases where there is
much more to the effect than simply one phytochemical.
Two capsules equal up to five cups of the world’s
finest organic green and white tea—excellent for those who have no
time to brew. In addition, studies suggest capsules work about as well
as imbibing tea for weight loss and health benefits.
While the experience of drinking tea is unmatched,
New Chapter does not sacrifice quality for convenience. The green and
white tea leaves in this formula are 100 percent certified organic,
and two capsules contain 400 mg of polyphenols, 30 to 60 mg of
theanine, and 50 to 90 mg of caffeine (the equivalent of less than one
cup of coffee).
For more information on the supercritically extracted
Green & White Tea by New Chapter, click here.
References
Choo, J.J. “Green tea reduces body fat
accretion caused by high-fat diet in rats through beta-adrenoceptor
activation of thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue.” J Nutr Biochem,
2003;14(11):671-676.
Dulloo, A.G., et al. “Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin
polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat
oxidation in humans.” Am J Clin Nutr, 1999;70(6):1040-1045.
Sato, Y., et al. “Possible contribution of green tea drinking habits
to the prevention of stroke.” Tohoku J Exp Med, 1989;157(4):337-343.
Zheng, G., et al. “Anti-obesity effects of three major components of
green tea, catechins, caffeine and theanine, in mice.” In Vivo,
2004;18(1):55-62
The statements contained in this article have not
been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information
contained here is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent
any disease. Suggestions and ideas presented in this document are for
information only and should not be interpreted as medical advice,
meant for diagnosing illness, or for prescriptive purposes. Readers
are encouraged to consult their health care provider before beginning
any cleanse, diet, detoxification program, or any supplement regimen.
The information in this article is not to be used to replace the
services or instructions of a physician or qualified health care
practitioner. |
