Superfoods & Nutrition

Green Tea Extract Benefits Weight, Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, and Fatty Liver

Green tea has been consumed for about 5,000 years in Asia and has expanded to the rest of the world over the last few hundred years. Its long-standing history is impressive by itself. Researchers continue to delve into understanding green tea and green tea extract (Camellia sinensis). The most active and abundant polyphenol of green tea extract is EGCG or epigallocatechin-3-gallate. Results continue to show promising beneficial effects on weight management and obesity-related hormones as well as several other areas of health such as blood sugar management, oxidative stress, fatty liver problems, urinary tract health and kidneys.

Weight Loss and Green Tea Extract

A recent randomized, double-blind trial with 115 Chinese women with excessive abdominal obesity was performed in Taipai, Taiwan. The study was to determine the effect and safety of high dose green tea extract on weight management, cholesterol, and hormone measurements in women with significant belly fat. Participants were required to have a minimum Body Mass Index (BMI) of 27 or higher and minimum waist measurements of 32 inches or higher. Keep in mind, this was a study done on the Asian population which tends to have much smaller frame and body size than Western cultures. The women who received the green tea extract were given 500 mg capsules of green tea extract with standardized EGCG three times per day. At the end of twelve weeks, there was significant weight loss, a decrease in BMI, and reduction in the waist circumference. Other benefits included a decrease in total cholesterol and LDL levels. The obesity-related hormones were also positively affected, with lower grehlin levels and increased adiponectin levels. There were no side effects or toxicity reactions that occurred in this study. 

Safety and Tolerance

In another study released just days ago, researchers evaluated the use of a number of thermogenic or fat burning nutrients to test their safety and efficacy. They focused on caffeine, green tea extract, and cayenne powder. During the 28-day trial in adults, they found no adverse effects of the ingredients and deemed them safe for short-term adult consumption.

The Minnesota Green Tea Trial tested the safety and efficacy of green tea extract in post-menopausal women at high risk for breast cancer. There were 937 women who received daily supplementation of 843 mg of EGCG for one year. The supplement was considered generally well tolerated.

Blood Pressure and Green Tea Extract

In a rather unique study, researchers used rye bread enriched with green tea extract to see what would happen. The control group participants received rye bread without green tea extract. In this study, the participants who consumed the green tea enriched rye bread over the course of 12 weeks experienced lower blood pressure and better blood pressure management. Weight loss did not occur in either the control group or the participants. The amount of green tea extract consumed for men was 242 mg per day. Women consumed 188 mg per day.

Given the complexity of carbohydrate metabolism, a possible interpretation of the failure to lose weight would be on the dosage of green tea extract used as well as the use of rye bread. Compared to the first weight loss study listed above, this study used about two-thirds less green tea extract. This too changes the entire fat-burning ability. The rye bread brings questions into interpretation with rye bread being a moderate glycemic index food and a food containing wheat and gluten that can alter gut microbiome balance critical for healthy weight management. Yet, even at this low dose of green tea extract per day, very positive benefits occurred. 

Blood Pressure

A recent, randomized control study in humans shows green tea extract helps protect against elevated diastolic blood pressure. A meta-analysis study that reviewed ten trials of 834 participants showed statistically significant improvements in both systolic and diastolic readings with drinking green tea. Individuals in the studies were either prehypertensive or had hypertension problems. In the Journal of Hypertension February 2015, the authors reviewed fourteen randomized control studies with 971 overweight and obese individuals. The consensus of the meta-analysis was that the green tea or green tea extract supplementation provided a statistically significant reduction in blood pressure in adults struggling with weight management.

Blood Sugar, Diabetes and EGCG

Green tea extract and EGCG have some of the highest effects on stabilizing and controlling blood sugar. Green tea and its EGCG-enriched extract improved glucose homeostasis and increased the expression of PPARγ in a fructose fed insulin-resistant hamster model. This is a critical concept as high fructose intake is known to increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, fatty liver, and gout problems. Fructose is found not only with high fructose corn syrup but also in high fructose containing sodas, table sugar, honey, agave, some cereal products, and many fruits and vegetables. Green tea extract was shown to protect against the negative blood sugar effects induced by fructose.

Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity experience high levels of oxidative stress with cardiovascular and capillary, small vessel injury and inflammation. This causes a cascade of inflammation leading to mitochondria injury, diabetic retina (eye) damage, and kidney and heart damage. Green tea extract along with several other plant based anti-diabetic nutrients were shown to help reduce diabetic complications. Some of the other beneficial herbs mentioned included banaba leaf, bitter melon, cinnamon, coffee, gymnema sylvestre, dark cacao, and turmeric.

Kidney Disease, Liver Cancer, and Fatty Liver

Recently, EGCG was studied for it effect on kidney disease with ureter obstruction in rodents. Researchers measured the levels of oxidative stress with NF kappa B and other inflammatory compounds. They also measured common kidney markers with BUN, creatinine, GPT, and LDH. When the mice were treated with EGCG for 14 days, the kidney dysfunction reversed, urethral inflammation reduced, and lab markers improved. The green tea extract protected to the kidneys.

There is a lot of strong evidence within cellular and animal studies on the efficacy of the polyphenols (EGCG) found in green tea extract. Evidence shows that green tea polyphenols help mediate oxidative stress as seen through the lab marker 8-OHdG. 8-OHdG measures the amount of oxidative damage to DNA. It has also been shown to help reduce biomarkers of liver cancer in high risk patients. 

For those who struggle with the most common cause of chronic liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), green tea extract EGCG offers hope. NAFLD is the build-up of fat in the liver. There are several things that can cause NAFLD, including gastric bypass surgery, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, metabolic syndrome, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, and underactive pituitary function. Insufficient dietary intake of choline (eggs, beef liver) or methionine (eggs, fish, poultry, red meats) can also lead up to NAFLD. Green tea extract was shown to be beneficial in alleviating NAFLD in diets low in these compounds. If your diet tends to be more vegetarian, consider adding in green tea extract to help reduce fatty liver congestion induced by methionine (protein) lacking diets.

Prostate Cancer, CLL, and Men’s Urinary Health

Other areas of interest with green tea extract include prostate cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). One study in particular found that men with prostate cancer treated simultaneously with the chemotherapy drug docetaxel and green tea extract and quercetin found a marked improvement in treatment. Depending on the cell lines studied, the treatment improved from treatment resistant to a three- to eight-fold increase in cancer cell apoptosis (cell death) and reduced tumor cell invasion.

Another recent study even showed that green tea extract was able to help improve quality of life in men who had lower urinary tract difficulties in as little as 6 weeks. This included improvement in flow, urine retention, inflammation within the urethral lining, and even improving erectile function.

Ancient history and tradition combined with modern research certainly provides efficacy and sensible evidence that green tea extract and its polyphenols (EGCG) is therapeutic. It has far reaching positive effects with weight management, obesity related hormones, blood pressure, fatty liver congestion, blood sugar, oxidative stress, men’s urinary health, and even cancer risk reduction. Most of the studies cited here focused on standardized, high quality EGCG. Make sure to use only the highest quality standardized extracts available on the market to avoid heavy metals, pesticides, or solvents frequently found in cheap green tea products. There are enough toxins in the world to deal with. Avoid the cheap product so you don’t end up having other problems.

Source: http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/green_tea_extract_benefits_weight_blood_pressure_blood_sugar_fatty_liver_an
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