For thousands of years green tea has been used by both the Chinese and Japanese as both an herbal medicine and a beverage. Recently the use of this tea as an herbal medicine gained notice in the western world as a part of the medical profession. The antioxidant and chemotherapuetic effects of the green tea have been studied in recent years. Both Switzerland and the United States have conducted recent research that indicates a strong connection between green tea and weight loss.

An issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Urology published in December 1999, indicated a study where certain compounds in green tea extracts might promote weight loss. A group of ten healthy young men under went a research study at the University of Geneva under Dr. Abdul Dulloo. The men, who ranged in size from lean to mildly overweight, were given a typical American diet. With each meal the men were asked to take a capsule of green tea and caffeine. The results showed that more calories were burned on average by the men who took green tea capsules. This showed that it might not be a myth at all when it comes to the connection between green tea and weight loss.

Green Tea and the Fight Against Fat

The idea that green tea can be an active combatant against fat may be another way that green tea and losing weight may be connected. The fat content of a body must be reduced in order to truly lose weight and get healthy. A recent study showed that every day for three months those who drank a bottle of tea fortified with green tea lost more body fat than those who drank regular oolong tea. There seems to be a link between green tea nad losing weight even if the exact connection isn't known, at least in the case of losing fat.

Another Possible Connection Between Green Tea and Losing Weight

Another reason why green tea and losing weight might be connected wasn't mentioned in the above studies. This is the fact that green tea, unlike any other tea, has the ability to satisfy people. There is a good possibility that a person will eat less and thus lose weight by drinking a glass or two with a meal. In addition you can't rob your body of hydration with green tea since there are no sugars or additives that causes fat and water weight to stay on the body rather than being shed as calories are burned.