Green Tea Catechins Shown to Lower Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, Cholesterol, and Inflammation , As Well As Body Fat

James Meschino DC, MS, ROHP

Several years ago I added catechins, from decaffeinated green tea, to the Body Burn supplement I formulated for Adeeva Nutritionals. I did so because there was substantial evidence to show that a specific dosage of catechins (polyphenolic compounds) encouraged the body to burn excess body fat. Evidence suggests it does so by turning-on brown fat, which burns calories while we are at rest and gives the energy off as heat to the environment (thermogenic effect). It may increase fat burning in other ways as well. Studies showed that the overweight persons taking catechins (from supplements) lost approximately 6 pounds of fat, compared to the control group (who lost approximately 1 pound), in just the first 12 weeks of supplementation. Neither group altered their activity or diet to any degree. Evidence suggests that some people have trouble losing weight because their brown fat is turned-off, and thus, their body has trouble burning extra calories.

Your Brown Fat Burns Extra Body Fat

Turning-on brown fat activity has been shown to help burn excess fat calories and help people stay leaner and healthier. So, the discovery that catechins from green tea could make this happen was a significant breakthrough in obesity research. The best part is that catechins do not stimulate the nervous system or the heart, and so unlike ephedra supplements, catechins do not cause high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks, seizures, insomnia, anxiety, irritability and other related side effects.

Catechins Also Improve the Entire Gamut of Obesity and Prediabetic Factors

More good news about green tea catechins was published in June 2012 in Nutrition Research. Researchers showed that overweight patients with high blood pressure experienced significant improvement in blood pressure, insulin resistance, blood sugar levels, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and CRP levels (a marker for inflammation in blood vessels linked to increased risk for heart attacks, and joint inflammation) when supplemented with catechins.

In this study, researchers followed 56 obese, hypertensive (high blood pressure) men and women for three months. The group supplementing with 208 mg of green tea catechins per day showed impressive improvement in each of the parameters mentioned above, compared to the placebo group.

The study authors concluded that: “daily supplementation [of green tea extract] favorably influences blood pressure, insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress, and lipid profile in patients with obesity-related hypertension.”

Here’s What I Do

I formulated Adeeva Body Burn to help patients lose body fat, preserve and/or gain lean mass, elevate metabolism, and improve blood sugar regulation. The daily dosage provides 600 mg of decaffeinated green tea extract – yielding 80% catechins, along with 200 mcg of chromium, and 750 mg of hydroxycitric acid (from the garciniacambogia fruit). I personally have used this supplement over the years to help me stay lean and preserve my muscle mass and metabolic rate. Studies show that these ingredients produce all of the above mentioned health outcomes.

The 2012 study makes me realize that the catechins I put in Body Burn may, in part, be one of the factors that has enabled me to keep my blood pressure down, and my blood sugar, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and CRP levels within the ideal range over the years. At any rate, this study has given me further incentive to continue taking this supplement, as the catechin content is proving to be highly beneficial in more ways than originally shown, not to mention the anti-cancer properties they have demonstrated in a multitude or experimental studies.

Reference:

Pawel Bogdanski, Joanna Suliburska, Monika Szulinska, Marta Stepien, Danuta Pupek-Musialik, Anna Jablecka.  “Green tea extract reduces blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, and oxidative stress and improves parameters associated with insulin resistance in obese, hypertensive patients.” Nutrition Research, 20 June 2012.