Does Green Tea Burn and Reduce Belly Fat and Help You Lose Weight?

Green tea has long been thought of as a safe supplement to help people burn fat and lose weight. Green tea may also regulate lipid metabolism, which is the breaking down fatty acids.

Green tea has long been thought of as a safe supplement to help people burn fat and lose weight. Many studies on green tea weight loss have been conducted with varying degrees of success. Based on the current understanding, green tea has shown to be effective in promoting weight loss and burning fat. This may be due to specific substances in green tea and their effects on fat oxidation and absorption. 

Green tea is made from leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Like many other teas, green tea possesses a range of chemical compounds and antioxidant properties associated with various health benefits. Some of these main tea antioxidants, polyphenols, are known to neutralize free radicals that may cause harm to your body. 

The polyphenolic compounds in green tea are called catechins, which are associated with preventing and treating chronic diseases by inhibiting excessive oxidative stress in your body. The main catechin in green tea is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).

Various studies have attributed green tea weight loss to the presence of EGCG. A study showed that women with central obesity who took 856.8 milligrams of green tea extract daily showed significant weight loss, reduced waist circumference, and a decrease in total cholesterol and LDL (low-density lipoproteins) plasma levels.

Another study showed that a high dose of EGCG green tea extract resulted in significant weight loss in women with central obesity. There wasn't any effect on body weight when a lower dose of green tea extract was used. These studies suggest that EGCG helps with weight loss, but a higher dose is needed to see the effects. 

Green tea also contains caffeine, which has been associated with helping to control body weight and obesity-related hormones. A study aimed to examine the impact of caffeine and EGCG on weight loss by giving people decaffeinated green tea extract that contained 843 milligrams of EGCG. The result showed that the decaffeinated green tea extract did not lead to reductions in body weight, body mass index (BMI), or waist circumference in postmenopausal women with no illnesses. This study suggests that green tea's aid in weight loss may be due to its caffeine level rather than EGCG level. 

Green tea may also regulate lipid metabolism, which is the breaking down fatty acids. Studies have shown that green tea and green tea extract decrease the fatty acid synthase (FAS) level, which decreases the production of fatty acids. 

A study comparing the weight loss effect of green tea in mice with a high-fat diet to those with a low-fat diet found that green tea helped suppress body weight gain. This may be due to green tea's ability to increase energy expenditure and fatty acid oxidation. 

In a high-fat diet, excess lipids accumulate in the liver, which can lead to liver injury. Green tea restricted the accumulation of lipids and decreased pathological changes in the liver. This shows that green tea may help prevent lipid build-up but is not a form of treatment once the liver has already been injured.

Another study investigated the effect of a green tea-caffeine mixture on weight maintenance for people with moderate obesity. The results showed high caffeine intake was associated with thermogenesis (energy output) and fat oxidation. People who did not take caffeine habitually also experienced improvements in weight maintenance. 

Additional studies are needed to better understand the effects of different teas on metabolism. 

Taking green tea with additional supplements and exercise has been shown to positively affect body composition, metabolism, and antioxidant parameters. 

A 12-week study on older people in good health showed improvements in body composition, glucose tolerance, and oxidative burden. These people participated in 30 minutes of moderately intense walking six days a week throughout the study. Some were randomly assigned to take a daily dose of green tea plus vitamin E. 

The results showed improved exercise capacity and significant weight loss in all the participants. People who took the green tea plus vitamin E benefited from an additional waist circumference reduction and healthier fasting glucose levels. This shows that green tea may increase fat burning, especially when paired with exercise. 

It makes sense that eating less will lead to weight loss and a reduction in belly fat. Green tea has been known to inhibit enzymes such as pancreatic lipase, amylase, and glucosidase in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Inhibition of lipase helps to reduce fat absorption, while inhibition of amylase and glucosidase helps to prevent the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. This shows that green tea may have the ability to improve weight loss by reducing energy intake. 

Green tea may also regulate appetite by changing the composition of gut microbiota. Gut microbiota is the bacterial composition in your GI tract that affects your overall health. It is highly correlated with obesity and has shown to affect fat storage and appetite hormones. Most green tea polyphenols pass through the small intestine unabsorbed and come into direct contact with the gut microbes, where the polyphenols are broken down into smaller components that positively affect the gut microbiota. 

In one small study, people given 300 milliliters of green tea for breakfast reported feeling fuller and having less desire to eat compared to the control group. This means green tea may help you lose weight by regulating your appetite and helping you eat less. 

Studies on green tea's effects on weight loss have been varied and suggest that the effectiveness of drinking green tea is dependent on a person's ethnicity, gender, other conditions, and the amount of tea they drink.

A study on a population in the north of Iran showed positive effects on body weight, BMI, and waist and hip circumferences. Another study on overweight people showed that taking 500 milligrams of green tea tablets for eight weeks led to greater weight loss and body fat mass reduction than in the control group. The positive effects were even more significant for overweight men in the study.

Another study with Asian and Caucasian subjects showed a difference in weight loss results that may depend on ethnicity. Asian people had a higher collective weight loss than their Caucasian counterparts. 

The ethnicity-dependent results may be further supported by another study that examined the effects of EGCG on body composition, energy level, and metabolic rate in obese Caucasian women. Taking 300 milligrams of green tea EGCG daily for 12 weeks did not result in significant changes in the factors measured. 

Green tea and green tea extracts are generally safe when taken in moderation and as directed. A standard cup of green tea contains up to 200 milligrams of EGCG, and people usually drink three to five cups per day.

If taken excessively, polyphenols in green tea may act as pro-oxidants and increase oxidative stress. Green tea contains caffeine, so drinking too much of it can lead to side effects such as anxiety, headaches, and irregular heartbeat. Taking too much caffeine may also put you at risk for neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Green tea may promote weight loss due to containing substances like EGCG and caffeine. The two may work together to help with weight loss, reduced waist circumference, and lower BMI. Green tea may also help break down fat cells and increase fat burning rate when combined with exercise. The enzyme inhibition qualities of green tea may also regulate nutrient absorption of carbohydrates and curb appetite. All in all, various studies have shown that green tea may reduce belly fat and help you lose weight. Still, the results may vary depending on your traits and habits.