Green Tea Dosage for Weight Loss

Green tea is an increasingly popular weight loss supplement. Not only is it able to rev up your metabolism and help burn fat more effectively, it also has great antioxidant properties, attracting free radicals within the body and removing them before they damage healthy tissue. Whether in pill or tea form, green tea extracts can lead to weight loss, but just how much do you need to take to see the benefits?

Brewed Green Tea Dosage
Green tea has been used in China for 5,000 years as a medicinal remedy for such conditions as arthritis, high cholesterol and even cancer. Most people enjoy a nice, hot cup of tea, but few realize that switching to green tea can actually boost the metabolism. The epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea has been shown to boost metabolism and help the body burn up to 80 more calories. The recommended dosage for brewed tea is five cups a day, or a cup of tea with each meal and snack. It may seem like a lot, but since an average coffee mug holds 8 ounces, drinking five cups will knock out a majority of your daily fluid intake, while helping you lose weight.

Green tea contains caffeine, which can help stimulate the metabolism; however, the amount of caffeine is significantly less than coffee, at about 30 to 60 milligrams per serving, as compared to coffee's 100 milligrams. Caffeine does assist the body with fat burning, but if you are sensitive to caffeine, don't drink the tea close to bedtime. Give your body about five hours to metabolize the caffeine and flush it from your system so you're not wide awake all night.

Green Tea Supplements
If you do not want to drink 40 ounces of green tea a day, you can purchase green tea extract pills. There is no consensus within the medical community on a recommended dosage for green tea in supplement form, but a supplement that gives you 300 milligrams a day has been shown to boost metabolism, according to a study done recently by Dr. Venket Rao, professor emeritus at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and Dr. Kathee Andrews. The study proved that individuals taking approximately 270 milligrams of EGCG and 3,400 milligrams of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), both active ingredients in green tea, did show noticeable weight loss. Taking 300 milligrams of green tea extract will give you the amount of EGCG and CLA that you need to lose weight. An earlier study in the journal Phytomedicine showed a weight loss of about two pounds per month for participants who included green tea in their diets.

Where To Find Green Tea
Green tea can be found in most grocery and health food stores. It is available in tea form, both in bagged tea and loose leafed, as well as in pill form. If you have trouble swallowing all the pills required, or five cups of tea per day is too much, alternating the methods may be the best solution. Note, however, that green tea is most effective when consumed without sweeteners, so put away the sugar, artificial sweeteners and honey.

Most green teas and green tea supplements are reasonable for any budget. With the tea and supplements costing less than $10 each, it is a cost-effective addition to any weight-loss program. Green tea also can be purchased online through tea emporiums, but it will cost more, upwards of $30, for loose-leaf products. However, if you're wanting premium taste and quality, it may be worth the extra money.

As with any diet program, it is best to consult a physician first. A professional can instruct you on how to properly structure your diet to fit your particular needs.

Effects of Green Tea on Belly Fat

Millions of men and women wish they could get rid of excess belly fat. Using green tea to help boost your metabolism and burn fat more quickly has been researched and studied over the past decade. This natural fat burner can benefit those trying to lose weight, and is caused by catechins, especially EGCG, the natural caffeine and the antioxidants. Green tea will also help regulate glucose, fight heart disease, prevent cancer and reduce inflammation.

Significance
Green tea has been used for centuries for health benefits. According to The American Society of Nutrition, there seems to be an indication of a positive effect of green tea on fat loss and an increase in metabolism. In a Journal of Nutrition article discussing a December 2008 stud (Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults), group participants who had 50 and 100 mg of catechins a day (about 7 cups of green tea) over a period of 12 weeks, lost more weight then those who did not intake the green tea. Those studies also show that green tea extract resulted in a 4 percent increase in metabolism when taken with regular exercise. The polyphenols, caffeine and antioxidants stimulate the fat-burning in the body, helping you burn more fat effectively, especially around the belly area.

Caffeine
Caffeine is one of the properties in green tea that helps naturally burn belly fat. Caffeine speeds up the metabolism, breaks down fat and keeps blood sugar at higher than normal levels, which reduces hunger. The fat-burning qualities of caffeine work best with exercise.

Thermogenesis
There is a large amount of catechin polyphenol in green tea, and it works like caffeine does, increasing the thermogenic activity in the body, especially with exercise. Technically, this helps burn more calories as energy. According to Dr. Bo Nielson from DoctorsNaturals.com, there are also antioxidants that help add to the belly fat burning. Four different types of polyphenols: epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG) and epicatechin (EC) are apparent in green tea.

Natural Diuretic
Another way green tea is good for burning belly fat is because it is a natural diuretic that helps reduce water weight from the body. This makes you look less bloated and help clean out your system each time you drink it. Green tea also helps release carbohydrates more slowly in the body then usual. This prevents rises in blood sugar levels.

How to Make Homemade Green Tea Moisturizers

There are many effective moisturizers on the market, however some contain undesirable preservatives, artificial fragrances and dyes. Those that have all natural ingredients have a way of also being expensive. When you make your own lotions and creams, you can use all natural ingredients, choosing from a wide variety of oils, butters, herbs, essential oils and liquids to make a product that suits your specific tastes and needs. Green tea moisturizer is made from oils that hold moisture in your skin, aloe vera that draws moisture from the air, green tea which is rich in antioxidants and essential oils which are natural fragrances.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Small saucepan
• 4 tbsp. grated beeswax
• 1/4 cup coconut oil or shea butter
• 3/4 cup almond, avocado, apricot seed or grapeseed oil
• Glass or stainless steel mixing bowl
• 2 tbsp. green tea leaves
• 1 cup simmering water
• Strainer and cheesecloth
• 2 tbsp. aloe vera gel
• Immersion blender
• Essential oil
• Spatula
• Containers for the cream

Tips

1. Combine the grated beeswax, coconut oil and grapeseed oil in a small saucepan and melt over low heat. Pour the melted oils and wax into a mixing bowl and let them cool completely.

2. Make an infusion with the green tea and simmering water. Let it steep for 5 minutes. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Allow it to cool.

3. Use the immersion blender to blend the oils while slowing pouring in the tea and aloe vera gel. Continue blending until the mixture is thick and creamy. Add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance at the end of the mixing process.

4. Scrape the cream into a container with the spatula.

Green Tea Weight Loss Side Effects

There are many claims about the health benefits of green tea, especially for those trying to lose weight. Though green tea has been used for thousands of years and its health benefits have been widely documented, there are side effects attached to its use in weight loss.

Caffeine Effects
Contrary to what many people believe, green tea does contain caffeine. Depending on the brewing method, green tea has 24 to 48 mg per cup. According to the University of Maryland, if you are replacing meals and other liquids with green tea in the belief that it will speed weight loss, you run the risk of dizziness, heart palpitations, insomnia and irritability.

It is possible to actually overdose on caffeine. If you experience abdominal spasms, appetite loss, diarrhea, headaches, nausea and vomiting, stop drinking green tea and contact your health care provider.

Dehydration
Drinking plenty of water is necessary to anyone wanting to lose weight, because a dehydrated body will hang onto every extra ounce of fat. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, you cannot substitute green tea for water as you lose weight. Caffeine is a diuretic, so you are losing water from your body even as you drink the green tea.

Your body needs about eight cups of water a day. Dr. Weil explains that you need to drink three cups of tea to get two cups of water. Unless you are drinking twelve cups of tea a day, you run the risk of dehydration, which can lead to serious heart problems.

And drinking twelve cups of tea a day--even weak green tea--puts you in danger of caffeine poisoning.

Gastrointestinal Effects
Not all green teas used by people trying to lose weight are pure. Some contain blends of other herbs, including senna--a natural laxative. According to Dr. Mark Bayatsky at EveryDayHealth.com, use of senna can lead to diarrhea. If you continue using a green tea weight loss blend that contain senna, the production of necessary neuropeptides can stop, which leads to chronic constipation.

Even pure green tea can cause nausea, because the tannins it contains interferes with your body's absorption of iron, which can also lead to anemia.

Green tea is also acidic which can irritate the stomach lining and aggravate a peptic ulcer.

Malnutrition
Anytime you reduce your caloric intake, you run the risk of not getting all of the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats that your body needs.

Drinking green tea instead of eating as a part of your weight loss plan can actually rob your body of the nutrients it needs, leading to malnutrition.

Malnutrition can cause your body to start taking nutrients from your muscles, bones and organs, severely weakening them. According to the entry in The Physician's Desk Reference, malnutrition can also cause irritability, dry or patchy skin, hair loss and brittle nails.

Aluminum and Fluoride
All rapid weight loss puts a strain on the body, making it more susceptible to problems.

Studies, such as one published in the European Journal of Nutrition December of 2007, have found a troubling link between the aluminum content of green tea and low iron levels in rats. According to Oregon State University, green tea also contains fluoride. There are also concerns that the combination of the two could pose a health risk; but many more studies are needed.

Green Tea Fat Burner Side Effects

With America caught up in an epidemic of obesity, many people are turning to green tea for fat burning. This natural remedy has been in use for hundreds of years. But just because they contain natural ingredients doesn't mean that green tea fat burners have no side effects. These can, in fact, be significant.

What is Green Tea?
Green tea is a substance produced from the leaves of camellia sinensis. While most teas are produced using a fermentation process, green tea is not; this means the leaves undergo very little oxidization. It's believed that this makes green tea a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants scavenge and neutralize free radicals, which are toxic substances within the bloodstream that contribute to aging and disease.

Green tea has been consumed as a beverage for hundreds of years in many cultures, including India and China. The use of supplements in capsule form is a more recent development.

Traditional Medicinal Uses
Over the years, many claims have been made about green tea's remarkable health properties. Traditionally, it has been used in Indian and Chinese medicine for a variety of purposes. These include use as an astringent, a stimulant, a diuretic and even to control flatulence.

It's also been said that green tea improves concentration and can even support the health of the heart.

FDA Viewpoint
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), green tea is "generally recognized as safe." This does not mean, however, that green tea and its extracts have been proven effective for weight loss or for any other claimed uses.

Green tea's proponents have suggested that it is a virtual miracle cure, having an effect on a wide range of conditions, including cancer. However, the FDA, in a statement issued in 2005, has stated that no study has shown a highly probability that green tea reduces instances of cancer as claimed.

The agency has also rejected petitions from green tea companies to use a label claiming green tea reduces the risk of heart attack or heart disease. The official stance is that, while some animal trials have shown promise, there is no evidence that the substance has an effect on human heart health.

The FDA has not issued a statement either supporting or denying the effectiveness of green tea as a fat burner or weight loss supplement.

Fat Burning Claims
Many companies offer "fat burners" that contain green tea as the primary ingredient. These companies often make claims that green tea is an effective appetite suppressant or that it causes the metabolism to speed up.

To some extent, these claims can be explained by the fact that green tea contains caffeine. Caffeine is a known stimulant, and does have metabolic significance. Herbal stimulants are often included in the ingredients, as well.

Studies have suggested that the polyphenols-antioxidants-are also responsible for the fat burning effect. While these claims have not been authenticated to the satisfaction of the FDA, some companies, customers and alternative health practitioners do put faith in them.

Side Effects
One of the reasons for the popularity of green tea fat burners is that they seem to produce minimal side effects, especially when compared with other weight loss products on the market. The problem, however, is that there is no real regulation of these products, and they often contain additional stimulants.

Some users report feeling jittery or extremely dehydrated when using a green tea fat burner. Others complain of headaches. While all of these symptoms can be related to the caffeine found naturally in green tea, most fat burner supplements contain additional quantities of both caffeine and herbal stimulants.

Dehydration can occur due to the diuretic effects of green tea. It's important to drink plenty of water when using a green tea fat burner.

There are green tea supplements available that have been decaffeinated. However, these are not normally the formulations intended to support weight loss. Those who are sensitive to caffeine and other stimulants should consider the ingredients carefully before choosing to use a green tea fat burner.

Benefits of Green Tea for Females

Green tea is commonly known for its antioxidant content and may offer benefits for women specifically. It may protect bone health, prevent HPV-related cervical cancer and reduce breast cancer risk. Research is ongoing, but available data is promising. If you're not currently a green tea drinker, the potential health benefits may offer a reason to make it part of your diet. Green tea contains caffeine, and drinking large amounts may cause issues like trouble sleeping and irritability.

Beneficial Compounds in Green Tea
Green tea contains beneficial compounds known as polyphenols. In your diet, fruits and vegetables are also a good source of various polyphenol compounds. The major group of polyphenols in green tea are called catechins, and the one scientists have studied the most is epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG. Green tea is a rich source of EGCG, which is linked to the heart-health benefits of red wine, along with other compounds may offer benefits unique to women.

May Protect Bone Health
Researchers identified dietary patterns linked to improved bone health and published their findings in the December 2012 issue of the journal Osung Public Health and Research Perspective. The scientists found that a diet rich in green tea as well as milk and dairy is linked to a reduced risk of osteoporosis in post-menopausal Korean women. A separate study found that supplementing green tea polyphenols increased muscle strength and markers of bone health in post-menopausal women with low bone density. That study was published in the journal Osteoporosis International in May 2012.

Lowers Breast Cancer Risk
Regularly drinking green tea may protect women against breast cancer, according to a study published in the May 2007 issue of the journal Carcinogenesis. Researchers evaluated a population study in China for links between breast cancer risk and green tea consumption. After analyzing the data and adjusting for certain variables, they found that drinking tea on a regular basis is linked with a lower risk of developing breast cancer. The authors noted a significant reduction based on the amount and regularity of tea drinking.

May Fight Cervical Cancer
Human papilloma virus infections are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer, and scientists are finding that compounds in green tea may offer protection. Because drinking green tea is linked to fewer incidents of cancer, researchers decided to carry out a series of experiments to determine the effect of green tea compounds on HPV-related cervical cancer. In a laboratory study of cervical cells, they found that the compounds EGCG and polyphenol E suppress HPV-related cervical cells and cause cell death in precancerous cells. The authors say the next step is to evaluate the response in women at risk of HPV-related cervical cancer.

Green Tea Benefits for Stomach Problems

People have been drinking tea for thousands of years and it's the most popular beverage after water. Compared to black and oolong teas, green tea has the highest levels of polyphenol antioxidants, which neutralize the free radicals that can cause cancer and heart disease and increase the effects of aging. Green tea has a variety of health benefits and drinking two to three cups per day can relieve or prevent many stomach problems. For those who find the taste too bitter, green tea extract capsules are available.

Digestion
Clinical studies have shown that green tea stimulates the digestive system. The presence of caffeine makes it a beneficial weight-loss aid because it helps the body burn calories faster, yet it's gentler on the stomach than coffee. Additionally, it's theorized that the polyphenols in green tea speed up the digestive process, increase metabolism, burn fat and help the body break down food more easily.

Flatulence
Drinking green tea is a safe and inexpensive way to neutralize gas in the digestive system caused by food intolerances. It can also relieve pressure from bloating, thus eliminating the pain that often accompanies gas.

Gastrointestinal Illnesses
Green tea helps reduce the inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), gastritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. People with IBD are at an increased risk for colon cancer, which early studies have shown that green tea may help prevent.

Stomach Cancer
The polyphenols in green tea have been found to prevent the growth of cancer cells in the stomach. Some studies suggest that when all factors (age, gender, education and alcohol consumption and smoking) have been accounted for, those who drink green tea are nearly 50 percent less likely to develop stomach cancer than those who do not.

Warnings
While green tea has many health benefits, those benefits sometimes come with risks. Too much caffeine can cause increased heart rate, irritability and insomnia, and overdoses can lead to vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal spasms. People with kidney disorders, heart problems, stomach ulcers or anxiety should not drink green tea, nor should women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. In addition, green tea can have negative interactions with many medications, so check with your doctor if you have conditions that require treatment.

How to Follow a Green Tea Drinking Diet

You don't need to go on an extreme diet, colon cleanse or detox diet to lose weight with green tea. In fact, detox diets and colon cleanses can be risky and have unwanted side effects, such as muscle breakdown and a weakened immune system. Your body is designed to get rid of any toxins on its own. Adding green tea to a balanced weight-loss diet, however, might just help you lose weight.

Green Tea for Weight Loss
Simply adding green tea to your diet isn't likely to help you lose much weight, but plain green tea is a calorie-free beverage that may help to slightly increase the amount of weight you lose. For example, drinking 4 cups of green tea per day helped people lose an extra half pound compared to people who didn't drink tea in an eight-week study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2010. Adding lots of cream and sugar to your tea will add calories and offset the benefits of drinking green tea, however.

Importance of Diet
To lose a significant amount of weight, you'll need to make other changes to your diet besides drinking green tea. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recommends you cut calories by eating fewer foods made with refined grains or containing added sugars or lots of fat. Instead, eat plenty of filling but lower-calorie vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean protein sources. These foods tend to be lower in energy density, or calories per gram, than foods high in fat or sugar, which means you can eat more food for the same amount of calories. This helps you stay full longer and may make sticking to your diet easier.

Add Exercise
You'll get even more benefits from adding green tea to your diet if you also exercise. A study published in The Journal of Nutrition in December 2008 found that drinking green tea and exercising at least 180 minutes per week at moderate intensity helped people lower their triglycerides and decrease their abdominal fat by over 7 percent more than exercise alone.

Potential Considerations
Check with your doctor before adding large amounts of green tea to your diet, as it may not be safe for everyone. Pregnant women and people with anxiety, high blood pressure, ulcers or kidney, liver or heart problems should avoid green tea.

Green tea also contains caffeine unless you buy a decaffeinated variety. Getting too much caffeine from green tea or other sources can cause headaches, irritability, dizziness, insomnia, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, as well as heart palpitations. MedlinePlus recommends limiting caffeine to no more than 300 milligrams per day, about what is in 5 cups of tea.

Green tea may interact with certain medications, increasing the risk of side effects. These include certain types of antibiotics, sedatives, blood thinners, chemotherapy medications, blood pressure medications, ephedrine, lithium, adenosine, birth control pills and the phenylpropanolamine found in some cold medications.