There have been conflicting studies on green tea and weight loss tea. Some studies show that it helps reduce or inhibit fat storage and control appetite. Others, such as a study conducted in 2004 and published by the British Journal of Nutrition, found that the caffeine in green tea actually contributed to weight gain!
Although the amount of caffeine in green tea is smaller than in black tea or coffee, it is still enough to have a significant effect on your body. Caffeine has been shown to increase the body's metabolic rate and suppress appetite. However, there are three distinct disadvantages of caffeine that far outweight these benefits for weight loss:
1. The liver needs to process caffeine, and in many overweight people, the liver is overburdened with toxins and does not perform correctly, which creates poor metabolism and burning of fat. So we want to keep our liver happy and healthy, and not tax it with substances like caffeine.
2. Caffeine can create a spike in insulin, with a subsequent drop in insulin. This creates blood sugar swings, which can just leave you craving high-sugar, high-carbohydrate foods. Caffeine is also known for depleting the adrenal glands over time, which will leave you exhausted.
3. An addiction to caffeine can develop if you consume it regularly.
So what does this mean for green tea and weightloss?
The studies that have shown that green tea helps weight loss have been high quality studies. And the results are very compelling.
In addition, there is no question about the antioxidant benefits of green tea. It has been shown to fight cancer, heart disease, and reduce stress.
So, I feel it would be beneficial to add green iced tea to your diet--just be sure it's decaffeinated! There are plenty of decaffeinated products on the market.
In addition, if you don't like the taste of green tea (it does have a very "green" taste), there are decaffeinated green tea supplements available. So you don't have to taste it at all, and you can still enjoy its benefits.
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