How Tea and Chocolate Can Help with Weight Loss

17.03.2010 | Author: Matt Lovell

GREEN TEA
Many of us like a cuppa through the day. Apart from knowing that you should try to limit your
sugar consumption, and, arguably, use skimmed-milk in your tea, many of us give no more
thought as to whether the tea we drink has any consequences for our health. Read on my friends
and be enlightened
Green Tea comes in many guises, mainly from the East. Chinese and Japanese green teas have
similar benefits. Green tea is just black tea without the fermentation process. Black tea (what
most Brits normally consume) contains many benefits too just not as many as green tea, plus
milk blocks the flavanoids (active health promoting components in green tea). Youll see later
the same milk in milk chocolate blocks similar active polyphenols from working properly in the
body.
Green tea contains antioxidants, polyphenols (active plant components) catechins and EGCG
these are the bits which give Green teas its unique properties. Many of the health benefits and
claims of green tea are the subject of hype but it does seem to have a proven track record for
helping almost all causes of mortality in some bigger well constructed studies, so maybe we
should believe the hype
GREEN TEA FOR THE ATHLETE
Next to fish oils green tea is a wonder food, drink it regularly, drink it lots get a version you
enjoy the taste of. The best product is Matcha ceremonial green tea used in the orient for 1000s
of years to improve mediation and meetings between people, but any type of green tea will
contain some of the beneficial effects.
One of the reasons for its traditional use in ceremonies is its effect on brain neurotransmitters,
specifically it has a calming and focusing action due to raising dopamine and GABA at the same
time. Dopamine is responsible for motivation and drive, whilst GABA regulates brain rhythm.
The effect is you feel calmer and more focused at the same time. Only a few natural substances
can do this and generally these assist with reaction time when nerves are an issue. Green tea also
affects alpha waves; these are highest when the brain is relaxed and alert.

Green Tea; calms the brain

Increases both GABA and Dopamine
Excellent for decision making when under fire
Increases alpha waves
Protects against most diseases
Burns fat

Alpha brain waves are seen in wakefulness where there is a relaxed and effortless alertness, for
more info check out http://www.biocybernaut.com/about/brainwaves/alpha.htm
So if you like being stressed, fat and prone to disease dont drink green tea!
SCIENCE IN RELATION TO FAT LOSS
Increased adipose (fat) mass is a consequence of either increased adipocyte (fat cell) size
(hypertrophy) or increased adipocyte number (hyperplasia) or both. Adipose tissue hyperplasia
(increasing in number) is a result of increased adipogenesis, which includes preadipocyte
proliferation and adipocyte differentiation. Thus, therapeutic agents that have the ability to
reduce or inhibit adipogenesis or increase cell death by apoptosis could have a profound impact
on body composition.
Green tea extracts, specifically those containing a high proportion of epigallocatechin gallate
(EGCG), have been shown to increase 24 hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation (Dulloo et
al., 1999) and increase weight loss in humans (Chantre and Lairon, 2002). In addition, EGCG
treatment has been shown to decrease fat deposition in rats (Kao, Hiipakka and Liao,
2000). Although increased thermogenesis and inhibition of lipase activity have been suggested
to be responsible for EGCG induced weight loss, EGCG has been shown to have
antiproliferative effects (inhibits maturation and increases apoptosis, i.e. cell death) that may also
impact adipose tissue.
In addition to its antiproliferative effect, EGCG may also have an inhibitory effect on
differentiation. More specifically, it may act to inhibit the extracellular signal regulated kinase
(ERK) pathway in adipocytes, resulting in inhibition of lipogenesis. Empirical evidence suggests
that 500mg of EGCG taken in the form of a decaffeinated green tea extract supplement twice
daily (500mg at breakfast and lunch) is optimal for the fat utilization and storage effects
highlighted above.
However some scientist believe the fat burning effects are better in caffeinated forms of green
tea, the problem with these is you cant take them late at night.
Furthermore, EGCG can be considered to be a general wellbeing nutrient. It has been reported to
have antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties (Kondo et al., 1999; Cai et al., 2002) and
anticarcinogenic or cancer preventing actions (Chung et al., 2003; Hu, Han and Chen, 1995).
Basically it kills fat cells, up regulates fat burning and prevents cancer so drink it!
TEA IS ALWAYS GOOD WITH A CHOCOLATE BISCUIT
Chocolate Has Health Benefits (just avoid the biscuit part)
Chocolate is the name given to product derived from cocoa trees, cocoa nibs are the raw form of
chocolate before it gets processed and sugar added. These nibs contain unique plant polyphenols,
and yes you guessed it these are good for you!

Recent studies have shown that eating chocolate can be beneficial to your health. Chocolate
contains a substance called catechins, the same stuff that occurs in Green tea, that could help
prevent cancer and heart disease, as well as lower blood pressure. But if you eat milk chocolate
you can block some of the active components and negate the benefits.
Catechins are strong antioxidants which clear away destructive molecules in the body called free
radicals. Free radicals damage cells which help trigger heart disease and cancer. A large amount
of antioxidants in your diet can help reduce your risk for developing heart disease and cancer.
Cocoa powder and chocolate are good sources of antioxidants. See the list of Top Antioxidant
Foods below. Dark chocolate contains significantly higher amounts than most other foods. You
can also find catechins in large doses in green tea.
In addition, researchers have discovered that physical and emotional enjoyment from eating
chocolate, even in small doses, can enhance immune function for hours afterwards. They believe
that life's small pleasures may have a cumulative effect in boosting the immune system over a
long period.
This seems to prove that a little bit of what you fancy really does do you good, just dont have
too much of it thats all!
The good news is that moderate chocolate consumption offers health benefits. The bad news is
that you can't eat whatever you want because too much chocolate can lead to weight gain.
So once you start eating the chocolate make sure you eat a little less of something else. When
you restrict foods choose sugars and poor fat calories first.
So there you have it scientific proof that tea and chocolate offer significant health benefits and
should be a part of your every day routine.

Author
Matt Lovell Elite Sports Nutritionist
Matt Lovell is an Elite Sports Nutritionist. He has worked with the
England Rugby Team since 2002 and also currently works with 4
premiership teams and UK Athletics team as they prepare for the
Olympic Games in London in 2012.. His primary website
www.SportsNutritionVlog.com is chock full of useful Sports Nutrition
information and if you leave a question Matts really good at getting back
to you.
Matt has written a comprehensive guide on Preparing for a Big Event, the
popular Fat Loss Program Four Week Fat Loss and Regenerate a Muscle Building Nutrition
program.

TOP ANTIOXIDANT FOODS

ORAC* UNITS PER 100 GRAMS
Dark Chocolate

13,120

Prunes

5,770

Raisins

2,830

Blueberries

2,400

Blackberries

2,036

Kale

1,770

Strawberries

1,540

Spinach

1,260

Raspberries

1,220

Brussels Sprouts

980

Plums

949

Alfalfa Sprouts

930

Broccoli Florets

890

Oranges

750

Grapes, red

739

Red Bell Pepper

710

Cherries

670

Onion

450

Corn

400

Eggplant

390

SOURCE: Data from U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Journal of the American Chemical
Society.
*ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is a measure of the ability of foods to subdue
harmful oxygen free radicals that can damage our bodies.
References from Wikipedia
1. ^ Green Teas Cancer-fighting Allure Becomes More Potent.
2. ^ Green Tea, White Tea: Health Roiboos
3. ^ The combination of green tea and tamoxifen is effe[Carcinogenesis. 2006] PubMed Result
4. ^ A New Function of Green Tea: Prevention of Lifestyle-related Diseases Sueoka et al. 928 (1): 274 Annals
of the New York Academy of Sciences
5. ^ Green Tea Health Benefits
6. ^ How effective is green tea for weight loss? | Calorie Counter
7. ^ ACS :: Green Tea
8. ^ Tea: A Story of Serendipity
9. ^ Qualified health claim definition Medical Dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on
MedTerms
10. ^ US FDA/CFSAN Letter Responding to Health Claim Petition dated January 27, 2004: Green Tea and
Reduced Risk of Cancer Health Claim (Docket number 2004Q-0083)
11. ^ US FDA/CFSAN Qualified Health Claims: Letter of Denial Green Tea and Reduced Risk of
Cardiovascular Disease (Docket No. 2005Q-0297)
12. ^ CDER New Molecular Entity (NME) Drug and New Biologic Approvals in Calendar Year 2006
13. ^ Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Product List: 10/2006
14. ^ http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2006/021902lbl.pdf
15. ^ JAMA Abstract: Green Tea Consumption and Mortality Due to Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and All
Causes in Japan: The Ohsaki Study, September 13, 2006, Kuriyama et al. 296 (10): 1255
16. ^ http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_4326770 Article in the Denver Post
17. ^ Green tea consumption and cognitive function: a cross-sectional study from the Tsurugaya Project 1
Kuriyama et al. 83 (2): 355 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
18. ^ Green tea could protect against Alzheimer's
19. ^ Green Tea and the Asian Paradox
20. ^ L-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological[Biol Psychol. 2007] PubMed Result
21. ^ Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in
men Nagao et al. 81 (1): 122 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
22. ^ Studies: Green Tea May Help Prolong Life, Senay: Research Also Shows Benefits For Skin, Few Drawbacks
CBS News
23. ^ Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy
expenditure and fat oxidation in humans Dulloo et al. 70 (6): 1040 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
24. ^ Green Tea Blocks HIV in Test Tubes
25. ^ SpringerLink Journal Article
26. ^ [1] Lambert, J.D., et al., (2007) Possible Controversy over Dietary Polyphenols: Benefits vs Risks, Chem
Res Toxicol