by Nancy Quinn

Created on: December 20, 2009

What can raise your metabolism, lower your glucose levels and help you lose weight? The answer is not found in the diet pill aisle of your local grocery store, but in the tea aisle. While green tea has been around for a long time as a healthy alternative to coffee, many people are now learning that it also benefits in their weight loss efforts as well.

Raises metabolism:

Metabolism is the amount of calories your body burns to maintain itself. Your body is constantly burning calories to keep you going whether you are exercising, eating, drinking, or even sleeping. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that green tea extract raised the metabolic rate by four percent during a research study.

The catechin polyphenois that is found in green tea is a type of antioxidant and is what makes green tea so popular as a healthy drink. However, it is the epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, that increases metabolism and is the key ingredient that stimulate weight loss. The EGCG stimulates the central nervous system and causes fat to be released into the blood stream for the body to use as fuel.

An added benefit of green tea that studies also discovered is that it also reduces the rate that carbohydrates are used in your body and allows for longer exercise times since it increases endurance. More energy while exercising means you are able to burn even more calories.

Reduces appetite:

Green tea helps regulate blood sugar in the body so it does an excellent job of helping to reduce the dieter's appetite. A study conducted at the University of Chicago injected rats with a green tea extract. Their results found that the rats consumed up to sixty percent less food after seven days of the daily injections.

Reduces calories:

From coffee houses to McDonalds, the popularity of high calorie coffee drinks are on the rise. While the taste is delicious and wakes you up in the morning, these calorie laden drinks can quickly add inches to the waistline. By substituting a cup of green tea for a coffee house style coffee, you will be saving potentially 700 calories each day. And just like coffee, green tea does contain caffeine as well. So for those with high blood pressure or other medical issues who need to avoid too much caffeine, an option of taking green tea supplements will still give you the benefits of green tea without the caffeine.

In order to get the optimum benefits of green tea, experts suggest drinking three to five cups of green tea per day in order to burn up to 70 calories a day. While that doesn't sound like a lot, this has the potential of adding up to 7 pounds by the end of the year. So whether you want to lose weight or simply want to improve your overall health, extensive research shows that this simple cup of tea is overflowing with many health benefits.

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