Green Tea Extract, Extract, Read All About It!

February 22nd, 2010 by admin No comments »

Green tea extract is a revolutionary product.  Green tea in itself holds some extraordinary characteristics, but in its extracted form, green tea can be combined with other products or packaged and used in many different ways.  Some common ways are well known,  such as being a key ingredient in many weight loss supplements, but some of its other uses might be surprising.  For example, green tea extract is used in candy to prevent gum disease and in ointments to treat genital warts.  People also use green tea bags to reduce puffiness under the eyes and on the skin to soothe sunburn.  Just as with drinking green tea, consuming green tea extract in the form of capsuls can be beneficial.  In fact, it has been accredited with helping individuals with losing weight and preventing cancer, as previously stated, as well as reducing the risk of heart disease, lowering cholesterol, controlling blood sugar, reducing inflammation due to Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and protecting the liver against toxic substances.

This is made possible by the process that green tea extract goes through.  Oolong and black tea also come from the same plant, the camellia sinensis plant, but they endure different processes before reaching their final state.  Oolong tea is partially fermented and black tea is completely fermented, while green tea is not fermented.  The more the tea is fermented, the more polyphenols it losses and the more caffeinated it becomes, making it less healthy.  Green tea is made by steaming or sun-drying the leaves, which keeps in most of the nutrients.  As the name green tea extract indicates, the green tea is extracted from the leaves and ground up into powder form.  Since green tea extract is not fermented, it has the highest count of polyphenols and the least amount of caffeine, making it the healthiest.

The polyphenols and caffeine that is in the green tea extract work with your body to naturally burn fat and to prevent storing of fat in your body.  The polyphenols prevent the glucose from moving into fat cells, like glucose regulators, and they activate the enzymes that dissolve triglyceride, or excess food.  This ultimately leads to fat burn.  Also, caffeine paired with a specific polyphenol, epigapigallocatechin gallate, which is also referred to as EGCG, work together to create thermogenesis, which is basically the process of fat being used for energy.   This causes an increase in energy, greater stamina to exercise, as well as a reduction in excess water weight.

Considering these factors some people might mistakenly view green tea extract as a miracle product, especially when it comes to using green tea as a dietary supplement.  This, however, is not the case.  Different supplements contain different amounts of green tea, and even the 100 percent green tea capsules do not claim taking the product as the end all, be all.  Many green tea dietary plans seem to follow the same mandate, which includes reducing your caffeine and sugar intake, eating right, and exercising, along with taking the green tea supplement.  Some green tea diet plans even encourage its users to use the supplements in conjunction with other weight loss products.  This may be attributed to the fact that green tea is a supporter of healthy bodily functioning rather than weight loss, so its contribution in helping to burn fat is more attributed to the fact that excess body weight is not healthy.

All in all, outside of a few misconceptions, green tea extract can be quite beneficial when used properly and when incorporated in an individual’s daily routine.  As previously mentioned, green tea capsules contain different concentrations of green tea.  Therefore, it is recommended that you investigate the green tea products that you plan to use and check to make sure that the product contains standard green tea extract, and that the manufacturer holds the proper credentials and strict compliance with the GMP regulations.  It is also recommended for you to consult your physician to see if a green tea diet is feasible and would be productive in your dietary endeavors.

Unmasking the Green Tea Diet

February 20th, 2010 by admin No comments »

Green tea has become a new phenomenon in the health industry.  One of the highest sought benefits of green tea is its ability to help people lose weight.  Considering the high number of weight loss plans that crash and burn, it is reasonable for individuals to be skeptical.  However, several research studies have been able to consistently validate the effectiveness of a green tea diet.

Green tea is effective because it is a natural product, which limits side effects, and it contains essential components that work with your body to naturally burn fat and to prevent storing of fat in your body.  This is accomplished by the polyphenols and caffeine that are in green tea.  The polyphenols act as a glucose regulator, and prevent the glucose from moving into fat cells, and they activate the enzymes that dissolve triglyceride, or excess food, ultimately leads to fat burn.  Also, a specific polyphenol, epigapigallocatechin gallate, also referred to as EGCG, along with the caffeine in green tea work together to create thermogenesis, or the process of fat being used for energy as well as shedding excess water weight.   This causes an increase in energy as well as longer stamina to exercise.

Along with weight loss benefits, green tea has also been credited with several health benefits as well.  According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, green tea  helps with preventing cancer, reducing the risk of heart disease, lowering cholesterol, controlling blood sugar, reducing inflammation due to Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and protecting the liver against toxic substances.  Considering all of these benefits, it is easy to see why there has been such interest circulating around the green tea diet.  But what exactly is the green tea diet?

There are several different green tea diets available.  On one site alone dedicated to green tea, you can find several different green tea diets, including the Chinese Diet Green Tea, the Mega-T Green Tea Diet, the AriZona Diet Green Tea, the Schiff Green Tea Diet, and the Nature’s Bounty Super Green Tea Diet, just to name a few.   Though they all boast to be the best and revolutionary products, they all seem to follow the same mandate.  Along with taking the product, you are encouraged to reduce your caffeine and sugar intake, eat right, and exercise.  Different supplements contain different amounts of green tea, and even the 100 percent green tea capsules do not claim taking the product as the end all, be all.

In such a light, it would appear that the green tea diet is not really a traditional fat-burning diet at all, but rather can aid as a supplemental aid in fat-burn dieting.  In fact, some of the green tea diet plans encourage its users to use them in conjunction with other weight loss products.  As previously stated, it has been proven that green tea aids in weight loss, but by itself it will take years to lose a small amount of weight.  This may be attributed to the fact that green tea is a supporter of healthy bodily functioning rather than weight loss, so its contribution in helping to burn fat is more attributed to the fact that excess body weight is not healthy.  Therefore, when coupled with other dietary supplements, green tea helps to supercharge the fat-burning qualities of the diet being enforced.

Individuals interested in embarking on a green tea diet are encouraged to pick the best one for them.  For some, drinking three to six cups of green tea a day is plausible, while others would prefer using the extract in pill form.  It was previously mentioned that green tea capsules contain different concentrations of green tea.  There are even some dietary supplements that already contain green tea in them.  As with any product, it is best to consult your physician to see if a green tea diet is feasible and would be productive in your dietary endeavors.  It is also recommended that you investigate the green tea products that you plan to use and check to make sure that the product uses standard green tea extract, and that the manufacturer holds the proper credentials and strict compliance with the GMP regulations.