Green Tea Extract

Green tea is famous worldwide as a plant that is dried, steeped in hot water, and then drank as a tea. In the past few decades, the benefits of green tea have become more widespread thanks to the ability to extract and concentrate the active constituents found in the tea, more commonly known as “catechins”.

When discussing the benefits of green tea and green tea extract, it is most common to focus on epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, as most dietary supplements containing this herb are standardized for their varying amounts of EGCG. Note, all EGCG content is not the same across various supplements, so confirming both the total dosage of green tea extract and the EGCG level found within it is crucial for determining how much you need to reap the varied benefits of this plant.

What it does
How it works
Dosing
References

What it does

Green tea extract has been shown to decrease fat mass^[1]^[2]^[3], increase rates of fat oxidation during exercise^[4], decrease total and LDL-cholesterol^[5], and even decrease delayed onset muscle soreness induced by exercise^[6].

How it works

Green tea extract is most commonly used for the reduction of body weight. This extract contains a combination of both EGCG and caffeine, and these two ingredients work synergistically with one another to increase the thermic response to food. Simply put, green tea helps us lose weight by allowing the body to burn more calories throughout the day.

When EGCG is taken without caffeine, weight loss may still be possible through an increase in beta-adrenergic agonism via an increase in endogenously produced adrenaline^[7].

Dosing

To mimic the weight loss promoting studies on green tea extract, a daily dose of 400-500mg of EGCG per day is recommended, and for best results to be combined with 200-300mg of caffeine.

Green Tea Extract

Contents

What it does

How it works

Dosing

References