Green tea against overweight

Green tea against overweight

Green tea was known to help protect against diseases such as certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatism ... A list to which we can now add overweight and obesity. If previous studies had already hypothesized a connection between green tea and weight regulation, American researchers this time achieved convincing results by effectively reducing obesity in mice with a diet rich in green tea.

As part of their work, the scientists separated the rodents into two groups. For eight weeks, the first followed a diet high in fat, supposed to promote obesity, and the second a classic diet. Half of the mice in each group had one green tea extract and the other half did not.

At the end of this period, the researchers noticed that the mice fed a high fat diet and taking advantage of the green tea supplement had taken much less weight than those following a similar diet but without tea. They even had less inflammation of the gut and a healthier microbiota than mice on a conventional diet without tea supplementation.

"This study shows that green tea encourages the growth of good intestinal bacteria, which leads to a series of benefits that significantly reduce the risk of obesity and overweight," said Professor Richard Bruno, lead author of the study. . If the amounts of tea given to the mice were transferred to humans, the equivalent of ten cups of green tea per day would have to be drunk ... "That sounds like a lot, but it's not unusual in some parts of the world. world, "says Professor Bruno. Research on humans should soon be conducted to clarify these results and the appropriate quantities.

* This study was published in the journal Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.