It 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. Such an extract contains catechins which are polyphenol compounds. These particular polyphenols have been proven to reduce body fat and weight through fax oxidation and thermogenesis. Such a 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 extract is made by soaking the tea leaves in alcohol. This type of extract is deemed the best to use next to drinking freshly brewed tea. Strong infusion extract is a clear brown/amber liquid which has the same characteristic sweet flavor of tea with a bitter taste.
• The soft infusion extract is made using the strong infusion processing which is then further concentrated. Soft infusion tea extract is often used in tea bags.
• 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 extract is made in a laboratory using techniques which separates the extract from the leaves.

In a study which was reported on in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that this extract increased metabolism and had a significant effect on fat oxidation. While some of these benefits were originally thought to be due to the caffeine which is present in this type of tea, the research team found that it also 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.

Such a tea extract is available as a liquid. You simply put a couple of drops of about 4ml of such an extract into hot or cold water or your favorite beverage and drink it. Extract is also is available in pills form. A good quality extract from green tea has 98% polyphenolds in it. It is recommended to take between 100 and 750 mg per day of standardized extract daily, depending upon the brand. It is not generally recommended to use caffeine-free 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 extract that is made from standardized extracts as these capture the core, active ingredients of natural leaves.