I extol the benefits of green tea regularly, and now there is another great health attribute to add to the list – blocking fat and keeping extra pounds at bay. Rather, a health attribute to hopefully add to the list of benefits in the near future, since this attribute of green tea has not yet been proven in humans.
A recent study found that mice, with an obesity gene, which were fed food laced with green tea had: less weight and fat gain, had less fat in their livers, and had lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. That's plenty of good stuff coming from a cup of green stuff.
What I find most encouraging about this study is that the mice were fed the equivalent of seven cups of tea, while that might seem high it is by no means an outrageous amount of tea.
Me? I will keep sipping my daily dose of green tea, mostly because I enjoy the taste. How about you? Do you like green tea? Do you drink it daily? Tell me how you feel about green tea in the comments section below.
Antica Murrina Veneziana
Sergio Rossi
DKNY
I drink it daily- organic, clipper green tea with unbleached bags, sweetened with a slice of lemon. It wakes me up and makes me feel refreshed.
1I like mint green tea...in the morning and at night
2Tiny mouse vs. Big human.
The amount of caffeine in green tea would probably speed up their heartrates to the point that this would appear beneficial to the mouse?
If you fed a human the weight equivalent of green tea I am sure their metabolism and heart rate would speed up and reduce fat cells too...
3Isn't man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife by the millions in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billions and eats them. This in turn kills man by the millions because eating all those animals leads to degenerative and fatal health conditions. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out cards praying for "Peace on Earth."
4-C. David Coates.
I love green tea! I drink several different varieties, but I average 4 or 5 cups a day - sometimes more, depending on stress levels and the amount of work I have!
5I loooooveee tea. My favorite is Teavana's Rooibus Toffe blended with Mate Vana. I suggest you try it! They also have this great Moroccan Mint green tea which is out of this world!
6Awww, the leptin mice (with the obesity gene) are so cute!
There is a HUGE difference between the way mice and humans metabolize compounds. I work in oncology, and there are several forms of cancer that we can cure easily in mice, but not in humans, due to different metabolization pathways. I wouldn't take the facts from one study and run with them quite yet -- next thing you know, a study will come out saying that more than 4 cups of green tea a day is bad for your heart, or will cause your teeth to fall out, etc.
I, personally, wouldn't drink 7 cups of green tea a day -- too much caffeine. I don't drink coffee and sacrificed my love of diet coke to eliminate caffeine from my diet, so I'm certainly not going to reincorporate it just because one study says maybe I'll have lower fat content and lower cholesterol.
7i second foxie's response.
i drink green tea daily because i like the taste better than other teas. i don't really see it as a contributer to the way my body looks, i attribute that to my own hard work.
8I disagree with foxies sttement. I think it's too broad. Animals kill other animals for food, it's a natural process. And to say that people are starving because we're wasting food on animals? So we should let the animals starve? People are starving because of bigger problems than us eating beef. How about civil wars and people being forced from their homes into refugee camps? And now I'm evil and bad because I eat chicken a couple times week? Give me a break. Yes there aer stupid people that kill needlessly. But there are just as many people that care and don't. If me not eating meat would bring peace on earth, believe me, I'd do it. But it won't. So I'll keep sending out my holiday cards thank you very much.
9And on topic, I LOVE green tea, I just bought a bunch an have been drinking every day. I dont really care about the study, it doesn't affect me drinking it!
I used to drink it everyday but I ran out. It tastes so good! I got addicted to it when I was living in China.
Someone here suggested lemon in green tea; I think I might try that
10Yes, animals do kill other animals for food. But they do it naturally and they do NOT make factory farms and keep their soon-to-be-meals in nightmarish, disease-ridden conditions. How humans eat meat does not compare in the slightest to how other animals eat meat.
11As for world hunger- we wouldn't have to let animals starve if we weren't making and slaughtering billions of them. I think you should read up on vegetarianism if you're serious about how you'd stop eating meat if it would bring peace on Earth.
Anyways. My whole point is that maybe we should all take responsibility and stop testing on animals to try to find ways to make our fat asses skinnier. Eat healthy. Exercise. See? This study was unnecessary torture.
you're right, I don't know much about vegetarianism, but I know people that are and world peace has never come up in our talks about it. I'm NOT saying that this study wasn't pointless, I WHOLE HEARTEDLY AGREE. Eat healthy (which I don't believe means no meat) and exercise. I get it. But to say that testing on snimals in pointless is just ridiculous. Think of all the ailments we've cured. Where those neccesary? Or are you saying they too are caused by eating meat? On the world hunger front, this is something that I DO know a little about, and our eating animals is NOT the cause of it. I'm not just talking about us not feeding animals, I want to know how you think us not eating them will somehow feed someone else on the other side of the world. Nevermind the economical impact it would have if just stopped.
12You have the right to your opinion and I value it. I don't agree with it all, but I like your passion for animals.
I drink it when I am at work, one cup a day and occasionally keep iced green tea in my fridge at home.
13This isn't anything new, I've read similar things before.
14Hmm...I just don't know about vegetarianism being the key to world peace. Somehow I doubt it'll change much in the mind of the extremists out in the world.
I am completely against factory farming, however. Not only do I think that the meat it produces is disgusting, from miserable animals shot up and fed with God knows what, I also think it's horribly cruel. I only eat fish--low-mercury, wild varieties that aren't being overfished--but I don't have a problem with people eating meat. I have a problem with factory-farmed meat. Why not eat beef less often and make it high-quality, grass-fed beef, from animals who were able to live a decent life--for your sake as much as theirs. This is how it is in most other places in the world.
I don't get why some people don't care or don't want to know where their food comes from. You put this stuff in your body every single day, and you don't care what's in it?
As for green tea...I drink it. I'm drinking some right now. Not sure about which of the health benefits might be true, but I like it, so what could it hurt?
15I like green tea but I need to add too much sugar. Which probably makes it nonbeneficial
16How did world peace manage its way into this conversation? Peace on earth is different than world peace, and vegetarianism would contribute enormously to peace on earth.
17I can tell that you didn't read the link I sent you, I really think you should. As for the economy suffering, who cares? We're damaging our health, our morality and the planet because of all the farms. Know who works at these farms? Illegal immigrants. Something tells me our economy would be fine. PLEASE just read the link.
I didn't get a link! I would've read it! Please send it to me again. And I hate to break it to you but not all farms are farmed by illegal immigrants. They mostly work plant farms, not animals farms. I grew up in a farming town, and my family in mexican, not So far back immigrants themselves. And personally, I CARE about our economy. I take care of myself and my health and my Morality, but I also care about others and their welfare. The economy suffers, we all suffer.
18I agree with brown eyed grrl, I think that's an excellent idea, just eat less of the mass produced gross crap and focus on the better sustained, better for you kind. I try to eat free range and such as often as possible.
I love green tea!
19I just love green tea; I drink at least one large cup every day! I also love black tea, especially in the morning! mmmmmm my favorite part of breakfast
20I love green tea (obviously), especially the orange spice kind. I drink at least 10 cups throughout the day. I don't really gain weight at all, but I think it helps keep my slim. Plus I'm addicted to it. It tastes so good and for me it seems to keep me from eating more than I should.
I don't drink as much in the summer since I like it hot. I'll have to work on that...
21my=me. OOps. It's Friday...and lunch time.
22Regarding green tea: I noticed awhile ago that I tend to burn fat when I drink it on a regular basis. I'm not obese. In fact, my BMI is 21.5. Still, it seems to have a thermogenic affect on me even though I never actively try to lose weight.
I do believe that there is no "one size fits all" to weight loss. Every body is different. Thus, I wouldn't say that the fact that it has that affect on me - and obese mice - means that it would work for everyone.
Regarding this political animal rights/vegetarianism side topic:
23I agree with brown_eyed_grrl and Renees3. I consider myself an ethical eater and believe that there's nothing wrong with eating animals if they were well taken care of while they were alive, killed painlessly and consumed with respect for the animal. Humans are at the top of the food chain.
Furthermore, everyone is entitled to their opinion but differing opinions are easier to swallow (excuse the pun) when there is no moral high horse implied. There is no right or wrong here, only belief systems and ways that people choose to live their lives. Disparaging other people's choices - THAT affects world peace. People kill one another over differing belief systems and we're arguing (not even intelligently debating) over the ethical implications of eating meat?
Green Tea, yup I've heard all this. But there are so many kinds. I want maximum benefits if I'm going to drink 7 cups a day, that's a lot of caffeine too. I don't know if I want the withdrawal headaches.
24Most animals are not killed painlessly. Even if they're raised free-range, chances are they're sent to a factory-style slaughterhouse, where they're shoved through a type of procession. Workers are paid on how fast they slaughter, not by their accuracy. MANY MANY MANY animals don't get properly stunned and are left fully conscious, shackled upsidedown, drowned in scalding hot water tanks, getting throats cut, etc etc. So while I applaud the efforts to eat organic and free range, you really just don't know what you're buying 100 percent of the time.
25@ plucky, Humans aren't at the top of the food chain. That's crazy. Can you picture any one of us running out into a pasture and taking down a cow and eating it? We'd look ridiculous and it probably wouldn't get us anywhere. Also, just because it may not be a pressing matter for YOU doesn't mean that the rest of us can't talk about it.
i love green tea, i try to have it about twice a day at least at work. although i have noticed that when i drink a lot of green tea, i tend to feel hungry a lot more.
26I love green tea and I love meat! I try to drink about 3 cups a day, but its easier at work b/c its sitting in the kitchen for me, hot water ready to go.
27I'm going to grill up a steak with my green tea tonight.
28They were talking about this on the view today... I caught the tail end of it, but it sounded like they M.D. who was talking about the green tea and benefits recommened marinating chicken in green tea??? i think...
29either way I love green tea!
"Humans aren't at the top of the food chain. That's crazy. Can you picture any one of us running out into a pasture and taking down a cow and eating it?"
Uh...people have been killing animals (including cows) for food for a very, very long time. We might not run into a field and tackle one like a tiger, but we developed other ways of accomplishing the same end-result. It might be artificial, in a sense, but it is what it is. We can kill pretty much anything and eat it.
Sorry to those who wanted to talk about green tea. I'm obviously bored here at work, and I don't plan to post about this again, since I'm not even sure what to do with some of the assertions that have been made in this thread.
30"I'm not even sure what to do with some of the assertions that have been made in this thread."
You and me both.
There's nothing like a good ol' fashion online flamewar, which reminds me of my old usenet/newsgroup days. And like those days, I see the possibility of Godwin's Law being invoked.
Link to Wikipedia entry on Godwin's Law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law
It amuses me.
31JAPANESE green teas only, there are several types (ex: sencha, genmaicha, houjicha, etc), but i enjoy them all, they're the best tasting green tea types
32I drink it every WEEKday at work after lunch. However, sometimes I drink chai or mint tea or lemon tea or grey...depends. But it's usually green tea. It's great for those cravings after lunch at around 2 or 3pm.
33It never ceases to amaze me how defensive omni's get at the discussion of farming and meat eating. This isn't a "flame war," whatever that is, it's a discussion. I'm not attacking so there's no need to go into defense mode.
34-scrolls down ignoring veggie vs omni rants-
Green tea is good! I didn't like it before, took me a while to adjust to the taste but I usually drink (i think) stacks green tea. they also have one with chai. i drink about 10 cups a day. lol.
now is this research about regular old green tea, which seems to be japanese (correct me if i'm wrong) or about ones with different flavorings? i wonder which is the best.
anyone heard of Bonkers slimming tea? found it in the organic asile at safeway. it's good, i got the lemon grass one, but i wonder how that compares to the 'slimming' effects of green tea.
35I have to have a cup of green tea in the morning, can't start my day without it. My favourite at the moment is a green tea flavoured with sea-buckthorn.
36I love green tea, and so does my boyfriend, but we both get nauseous if we have it in the morning or without too much food in our stomachs. It sucks because I love it and totally crave it, but I have to make sure it's not on an empty stomach.
37I'm addicted to coffee in the morning, but I've been trying to replace it with tea (especially during the day and evening), and green tea is definitely my favorite. It's especially nice to-go in the winter as I walk home from class.
38I skimmed the paper and it seemed like a really interesting study.
You should probably emphasize that they only saw these effects in the ob/ob mice. Lean mice given green tea didn't have any changes in any of the factors that they looked at. So, I don't know how these results could be applied to a healthy human.
Some of you asked what type of green tea that they used...they purchased green tea exctract from a lab supply company. They fed the mice two different concentrations of the green tea extract and said that they chose them based the lower amount on the average amount of tea that a japenese adult would drink each day and the higher amount on the amount of tea that would be consumed in other parts of the world.
fluffyhelen - you have a really good point. They didn't control for caffeine.
obviously, I'm a big science nerd.
39anyway, I drink green tea every day. but I drink it because I love it.
40japanese ladies drink loads of green tea and even eat the leaves afterwards, so they get the vitamins as well... and they're so skinny! so i decided to give it a try, it's 2 weeks now that i'm drinking green tea and only it.
don't see the results, but now i know that coffee is not magical and it doesn't do anything for me excep the nice taste.
41I went through a phase where I drank a cup every night and people noticed I lost weight. And I did. I'm not sure why I don't keep drinking it?
42Proof that I'm still drinking it, with that lemon squeeze...
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