Consumption of the catechin-enriched green tea beverage for 12 weeks induces visceral fat loss.
Visceral fat wraps around abdominal organs, raising the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and stroke. Green tea has been shown to shed the dangerous belly fat.
Researchers based at the School of Public Health investigated the effects of green tea on those established to have a high proportion of visceral fat.
A team at Peking University, China, enrolled 118 volunteers in their research study.
Participants were randomly assigned one of three beverages to consume for 12 weeks: a control beverage, 68.7mg caffeine and 609.3mg catechins enriched green tea.
Abdominal fat area, body weight and composition were measured at week zero, week eight and week 12. Out of 118 participants, 104 completed the three-month trial.
The researchers discovered that visceral fat, body weight and body fat were reduced significantly by catechin-enriched green tea treatment.
These effects were not seen in the control group, suggesting that catechins found in green tea can be beneficial for people’s health.
Green tea is made from camellia sinensis leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process.
Visceral fat builds up around internal organs and is dangerous even for slim people.
Researchers suspect that visceral fat makes more of certain proteins that inflame your body’s tissues and organs and narrow your blood vessels.
That can make your blood pressure go up and cause other problems. One of the easiest ways to get a rough estimate as to how much visceral fat you are carrying is to measure your waist.
Placing a tape measure, horizontally, around your torso — in line with your belly button — should be telling.
In women, a waist circumference of 90cm or more is considered a sign of high visceral fat levels. For men, the waist measurement is 102cm before high visceral fat levels are suspected.
As a precautionary measure, according to the study results, green tea could help get rid of visceral fat.
Another key measure is exercise to help you lose both types of body fats: visceral and subcutaneous fat. Doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of daily exercise.
