Green Tea and Resistance Exercise

So much has been studied and so much misinformation is out on green tea itself. Scientists do definitively know a few things for example: A person that is most likely to include tea drinking into their daily regime is most aptly already living a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, this inclusion is better for their health than possibly those who do not include tea as part of their daily drink choice.

Scientists continue to test and try to clarify the questions that the tea drinking and the exercise/diet community have. Until as late as last year, debate still remains around the idea that tea (preferably green tea) “spikes” the metabolism and that will cause weight loss. As reported through the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that tea is helpful in health and they go on to include that researchers from the United States Dept. of AG, National Institute of Health, UCLA and University of Glascow have found that the polyphenols along with caffeine content increased the energy expenditure and fat oxidation in the human body when one consumed green tea. And that combination together is what caused the result of weight loss.

For some time now it has been known that the “brown fat” (this is a human body fat component that its function actually generates the heat in the human body) of our bodies is affected by green tea. Also, second to that green tea has shown it sends glucose (the sugar from foods that gets absorbed) messages to the muscles to be used as energy. Green tea is not an invasive product and while it does contain caffeine; it is in low amounts. This means that green tea does not change any normal metabolic pathways of the human body in any way. That’s a lot of chemistry! And for some this technical jargon does not resonate.

So enter a study that is less about chemistry and more about the exercises of chemistry. The American Botanical Council did report on a study that shows the effects of green tea with resistance training.

This public study followed women ages 20-40 with a BMI over 25. The subjects were tested over a period of 8 solid weeks. Prior to the testing (1 week) the women consumed only 1200 calories each day. The testing divided the ladies into groups. 1st group was given green tea, the 2nd group a placebo, the 3rd was given the green tea with resistance training in a gym and the 4th was given resistance training and a placebo. For 3 times per week groups 3 & 4 did resistance training. They did only 3 sets of 10 reps with 1 minute in between the sets. The other subjects drank their green tea about 20 grams and the placebo group received approx. 20 ML of water each day. The findings were that group 1 had the largest reduction in BMI and lost an average of 12 pounds. Group 3 didn’t lose body weight but decreased in body fat mass and waist circumference. Groups 2 & 4 had no change in BMI or in bodyweight or composition.

The conclusion of the tea was that green tea promoted changes in the actual human body composition, weight loss, and maintenance of lean body mass, loss of body fat, decreased waist circumference and lowered body fat.
So it appears that putting resistance training into your gym routine along with green tea may make all the difference in the success of a person’s weight loss goals.

*A few words about what the American Botanical Council is; since 1988 and based in Austin TX they are an independent nonprofit research education organization. Their claim is they are dedicated to providing accurate and reliable information to consumers, healthcare practitioners, researchers, educators, industry and the media. They claim to educate consumers to make responsible choices about herbs as an acceptable part of medicinal healthcare.