HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Green Tea Helps Weight Loss in Obese

Study Abstract

Objective To compare the effects of supplementation of green tea beverage or green tea extracts with controls on body weight, glucose and lipid profile, biomarkers of oxidative stress, and safety parameters in obese subjects with metabolic syndrome.

Design Randomized, controlled prospective trial.

Setting General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC).

Subjects Thirty-five subjects with obesity and metabolic syndrome were recruited in age- and gender-matched trios and were randomly assigned to the control (4 cups water/d), green tea (4 cups/d), or green tea extract (2 capsules and 4 cups water/d) group for 8 weeks. The tea and extract groups had similar dosing of epiogallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the active compound in green tea.

Methods Anthropometrics, blood pressure, fasting glucose and lipids, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based lipid particle size, safety parameters, biomarkers of oxidative stress (oxidized low-density lipoprotein [LDL], myeloperoxidase [MPO], malondialdehyde and hydroxynonenals [MDA and HNE]), and free catechins were analyzed at screen and at 4 and 8 weeks of the study.

Results Pairwise comparisons showed green tea beverage and green tea extracts caused a significant decrease in body weight and body mass index (BMI) versus controls at 8 weeks (–2.5 ± 0.7 kg, p < 0.01, and –1.9 ± 0.6, p < 0.05, respectively). Green tea beverage showed a decreasing trend in LDL-cholesterol and LDL/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) versus controls (p < 0.1). Green tea beverage also significantly decreased MDA and HNE (–0.39 ± 0.06 µM, p < 0.0001) versus controls. Plasma free catechins were detectable in both beverage and extract groups versus controls at screen and at 8 weeks, indicating compliance and bioavailability of green tea catechins.

Conclusions Green tea beverage consumption (4 cups/d) or extract supplementation (2 capsules/d) for 8 weeks significantly decreased body weight and BMI. Green tea beverage further lowered lipid peroxidation versus age- and gender-matched controls, suggesting the role of green tea flavonoids in improving features of metabolic syndrome in obese patients.

Study Information

Arpita Basu, Karah Sanchez, Misti J Leyva, Mingyuan Wu, Nancy M Betts, Christopher E Aston, and Timothy J Lyons
Green Tea Supplementation Affects Body Weight, Lipids, and Lipid Peroxidation in Obese Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome
J Am Coll Nutr
2010 February
Nutritional Sciences, Human Environmental Sciences, Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.