by Jon M. Stout
Caffeine has often been shown to help speed up metabolism, giving it possibilities as a weight loss supplement. However, the problem with using caffeine as a weight loss supplement is that most of our bodies are accustomed to some caffeine intake, so it may require a significant amount to have any effect. And for some, such a large dosage of caffeine can have side effects.
Some supplement manufacturers attempted to get around this problem by combining caffeine with other supplements purported to enhance weight loss, such as ephedrine. With this particular combination, users did experience weight loss, but the side effects of ephedrine proved very dangerous, sometimes even causing death by heart failure. So, ephedrine has since been banned in the United States.
However, there may still be hope for using caffeine in conjunction with other supplements to achieve weight loss. The most promising is green tea's most potent anti-oxidant, EGCG. Green tea alone has been shown to promote fat loss, speed up metabolism and even inhibit the absorption of dietary fat. However, it appears that when green tea is combined with additional caffeine, it may have even more impact on your ability to lose weight.
Green tea contains caffeine; however, its caffeine content is significantly lower than that of black tea, coffee and colas. So, most of green tea's weight loss effect is contributed to its anti-oxidant level rather than its caffeine level.
Bearing that in mind, researchers decided to evaluate how green tea might affect weight loss and weight maintenance if it was combined with an additional dose of caffeine, similar to that in coffee or cola. In addition, researchers evaluated how the results differed between subjects who were already consuming large amounts of caffeine compared to those who consumed small amounts of caffeine.
The study evaluated 76 overweight and moderately obese people. The participants were placed on a low calorie diet for 4 weeks. Following the diet period, they were observed during a weight maintenance period of 12 weeks. The participants were divided into high caffeine consumers, low caffeine consumers and a control group.
During the weight maintenance period, participants were either given a supplement that contained green tea's anti-oxidant EGCG plus caffeine, or a placebo.
During the study period, high caffeine consumers lost more weight than those who consumed smaller amounts of weight. During the weight maintenance period, the EGCG/caffeine supplement had a significantly greater effect on the people who were low caffeine consumers than on those who consumed larger amounts of caffeine.
The low caffeine consumers who took the EGCG/caffeine supplement during weight maintenance continued to lose weight, lose body fat and show an increased metabolism. However, in the high caffeine consumers, the EGCG/caffeine supplement appeared to have no effect during the weight maintenance period.
So, what does this mean to your diet? Well, it certainly means that people who don't habitually consume large amounts of caffeine could benefit, in terms of weight loss, from increasing their caffeine consumption.
In addition, when you combine this research with results from other studies on green tea's effect on weight loss, it suggests that green tea may be the right way to increase your caffeine intake, particularly if you're caffeine sensitive. Green tea's caffeine does not appear to raise the heart rate and blood pressure the way other caffeinated substances can, so it is better tolerated by those who are sensitive to caffeine.
In addition, it's important to note that the EGCG/caffeine supplement used in this study did not supply an inordinate amount of caffeine. The caffeine supplement was just 150 mg of caffeine, roughly equivalent to the amount you would find in a cup of green tea.
Other studies have shown that green tea has the ability to increase weight loss more than its mere caffeine content would suggest. Some studies have compared the weight loss of those who consumed green tea to those who consumed the same amount of caffeine found in green tea through other beverages.
In these studies, the participants who consumed green tea lost more weight than those who consumed the same amount of caffeine from other beverages, suggesting that it's not just the caffeine in green tea that makes it a good weight loss supplement.
Studies have shown that the EGCG in green tea can promote fat oxidation and inhibit the absorption of fat from the diet. This may be the reason that drinking green tea is more effective for weight loss than drinking other caffeinated beverages.
If you're trying to lose weight, there's still no substitute for a healthy diet and regular exercise plan. Eating right and exercising will help you shed excess pounds and keep them off for good. However, when you're trying to lose weight, any help is appreciated -and it appears that increasing your caffeine consumption, particularly through drinking more green tea, may be just the jump start your metabolism needs. Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com
About the Author:
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com
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