by Angeline Oppenheimer

Created on: November 07, 2009   Last Updated: November 26, 2009

What can green tea do for you? According to extensive studies carried out on people, animals and in the laboratories, green tea yields numerous health benefits. Green tea has long been used in China, India, Japan and Thailand to cure many ailments from heart problems to regulating blood sugar level to improving digestion and mental processes. It turns out ancient wisdom was right on-various studies have shown a strong correlation between health and the green tea drinking habit. Green tea has been shown to reduce atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), lower cholesterol, fight various forms of cancer, diabetes and liver diseases. But that's not all-green tea promotes healthy skin, banishes bad breath and if you're grappling with a weight problem-it also induces weight loss.

What makes green tea the gem of teas (black, white, red)? Since green tea is not fermented but withered and steamed, it retains the most amounts of polyphenols, chemicals with potent antioxidant properties. The polyphenols found in teas are classified as catechins and green tea boasts high levels of epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), the most active of catechins. Tea's catechins have more antioxidant effects than vitamin C.

Tea's potent catechins don't just protect the body against the damaging effects of free radicals; they are shown to have great potential as fat busters. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, clinical studies suggest that green tea may boost metabolism and help burn fat. One study confirmed that the combination of green tea and caffeine improved weight loss and maintained weight in overweight individuals. They attribute this slimming power to the fat-burning effect of catechins. Another study in Japan showed even more promising results: When 240 men and women were given green tea extract for three months; those who lost the highest amount of fat and weight have lower blood pressure and lower bad (LDL) cholesterol.

Green tea also scores in the metabolism category. A study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition noted that green tea's catechins are capable of boosting metabolism by increasing energy expenditure. The researchers involved concluded that green tea extracts can increase metabolic rate by 4% over a 24-hour period. How? Green tea's high concentration of catechins work to intensify fat oxidation and facilitate thermogenesis (the rate at which body burns calories).

Resting on these scientific conclusions, green tea can promote weight

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