Green tea DOES help you lose weight but you need to drink seven decaff cups a day, study finds

Scientists tested the effects of decaffeinated green tea extract on weight

14 men divided into two groups were asked to cycle three times a week

Seven given capsule of green tea extract, while others were given placebo

Group taking green tea reduced their body fat by 1.6% compared to control

Green tea really can help with weight loss, a new study has found.

The debate has long raged over whether the drink has an impact on people's waistlines.

But a new study by a team of scientists at Anglia Ruskin University revealed when combined with exercise, green tea does help shed fat.

To test their theory, the researchers tested a capsule of decaffeinated green tea extra on 14 active men.

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Decaffeinated green tea extract has been found to help people lose weight. Scientists said you would need to drink six to seven cups a day and exercise to see the benefits

Seven of the volunteers, who had an average age of 21, took the green tea capsule, while the other seven men were given a placebo.

The capsules contained 571mg of decaffeinated green tea extract.

It is thought to be the first time a study has used the decaffeinated version of the tea in tests focusing on weight loss and performance.

As a result, any question over the potential stimulating effects of caffeine were removed.

The team's findings revealed those who took the green tea extract reduced their body fat by 1.63 per cent, compared with those in the placebo group.

Meanwhile fat oxidation rates increased by 25 per cent. This is important because fat oxidation aids weight loss. 

The 14 volunteers were asked to cycle for one hour, three times a week.

Those taking the capsule noted their performance increased by 10.9 per cent over a four-week period, increasing the distance they covered from an average of 20.2km to 22.4km.

Dr Justin Roberts, who led the study, said: 'It is known that green tea as a drink can have numerous health benefits as it contains a relatively high amount of an ingredient called EGCG.

'However, to get the dosage required may require close to six or seven cups of green tea a day.

'The 571mg capsules tested contained a daily EGCG dose of 400mg.

'In essence, our study showed that the use of a green tea extract could potentially help people to lose weight, if combined with exercise.

'However, we recognise that a larger scale study is now required.' 

The study was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

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Fourteen men took part in a study at Anglia Ruskin University. Seven were given the green tea extract and reduced their body fat by 1.6 per cent. All 14 men were asked to cycle for an hour a day, three times a week

COMPOUND IN GREEN TEA 'KILLS CANCER CELLS' 

A compound in green tea has been found to kill mouth cancer cells while leaving healthy cells undamaged.

While it was known the drink could help fight the disease, scientists say they have now worked out why.

The breakthrough involved identifying the process by which the substance attacks cancer cells.

This, it is hoped, will lead to new treatments for oral cancer, as well as other forms of the disease.

Scientists at Penn State University, in the US, explored the specific mechanism by which the green tea compound is able to target the diseased cells.

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The compound EGCG, found in green tea, kills mouth cancer cells (pictured) while leaving healthy cells undamaged, past studies have found

Earlier studies have shown that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a compound found in green tea, killed mouth cancer cells without harming normal cells.

But researchers did not understand the reasons behind the substance's ability to kill the cancer cells.

Scientists now believe EGCG may trigger a process in the mitochondria - the powerhouse of a cell that produces energy - that leads to cell death.

Professor Joshua Lambert, a specialist in food science and co-director of Penn State's Center for Plant and Mushroom Foods for Health, said: 'EGCG is doing something to damage the mitochondria.

'That mitochondrial damage sets up a cycle causing more damage and it spirals out, until the cell undergoes programmed cell death.

'It looks like EGCG causes the formation of reactive oxygen species in cancer cells, which damages the mitochondria, and the mitochondria responds by making more reactive oxygen species.'

Reactive oxygen species are chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen.

They play an important role in cell signalling and homeostatsis - the control of internal conditions including temperature.

When reactive oxygen species levels increase dramatically, it can cause significant damage to cell structures - this is known as oxidative stress.

As this mitochondrial demise continues, the cancer cell also reduces the expression of antioxidant genes, further lowering its defences.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2941319/Green-tea-DOES-help-lose-weight-need-drink-seven-decaff-cups-day-study-finds.html#ixzz3QuFr7adU 
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