Green Tea Extract for Weight Loss
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011It is always best to take the time to make green tea from the natural leaves but if you don’t have the time available or do not like drinking tea, you can take green tea extract instead. Green tea weight loss extract contains catechins which are polyphenol compounds. These particular polyphenols have been proven to reduce body fat and weight through fax oxidation and thermogenesis. Green tea extract is a herbal derivative of green tea leaves or Carmellia sinensis.
There are four main types of green tea extract: strong infusions, soft extracts, dry extracts and partially purified extracts.
- Strong infusion green tea extract is made by soaking green tea leaves in alcohol. This type of green tea extract is deemed the best to use next to drinking freshly brewed green tea. Strong infusion green tea extract is a clear brown/amber liquid which has the same characteristic sweet flavor of green tea with a bitter taste.
- The soft infusion green tea extract is made using the strong infusion processing which is then further concentrated. Soft infusion green tea extract is often used in tea bags.
- Green tea dry extracts are processed by dehydrating concentrated strong infusions into a power which is further processed into dry mixes, pills and capsules.
- The partially purified green tea extract is made in a laboratory using techniques which separates the extract from the green tea leaves.
In a study which was reported on in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that green tea extract increased metabolism and had a significant effect on fat oxidation. While some of these green tea benefits were originally thought to be due to the caffeine which is present in green tea, the research team found that green tea contains properties which go beyond those which can be explained by the caffeine. This has led scientists to believe that the active ingredients in green tea do indeed promote increased metabolism and fat oxidation.
Green tea extract is available as a liquid. You simply put a couple of drops of about 4ml of green tea extract into hot or cold water or your favorite beverage and drink it. Extract is also is available in green tea pills form. A good quality green tea extract has 98% polyphenolds in it. It is recommended to take between 100 and 750 mg per day of standardized green tea extract daily, depending upon the brand. It is not generally recommended to use caffeine-free green tea extract as caffeine is conducive to weight loss.
A high quality green tea extract should not contain fillers or additives such as sugar, silica, starch or gluten. Nor should it contain artificial coloring, dyes or flavors. It is important that you choose a green tree extract that is made from standardized extracts as these capture the core, active ingredients of natural green tea leaves.
