The ultimate ‘weight-loss formula’ has been pursued with the same doggedness and aggression as the pursuit for the ‘fountain of eternal youth’. The search has proved as elusive.  The coffers of advertising agencies swell with countless millions that they spent on a plethora of slimming products like pills, drinks, lotions, baths and other concoctions that are too numerous to mention.  They all come with pious assurances of success and money back guarantees.  But if these were even fractionally able to meet their claims, than the world – or at least the developing world – it would be populated only by svelte, sylph-like figures.  And yet governments of these countries wring their collective hands in helpless frustration at statistics that speak eloquently of the rising incidence of obesity.  And the medical fraternity is hoarse with dire warnings of premature mortality from weight related ailments. 

However, there is a reason to believe that the substance has been established beneficial to weight reduction.  It is a chemical found in ordinary green tea that goes by the unpronounceable name of Epigallocatechin Gallate shortened for convenience to EGCG. 

Green tea (camellia sinensis) has been the standard beverage of Asian countries for centuries.  Though from the same plant, the process of manufacture differs between black and green tea.  Black tea is made by pre-processing and fermenting freshly plucked leaves, oxidizing them and then drying them in the presence of hot air.  Green tea, on the other hand, entails no fermentation or oxidization but uses a steaming process.  This results in a higher percentage of Polyphenols and flavonols like EGCG, a desirable characteristic. A typical comparison is 3 to 10% for black tea as against 30 to 40% for green tea. 

Polyphenols and flavonols are anti-oxidants with innumerable medical benefits. They control hypertension, lower cholesterol levels and hence cardiovascular ailments, and can reduce the risk of skin, breast and stomach cancers. Many more are listed in The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database.  This high content speaks for the advantages of a diet rich in green tea. 

In addition, green tea appears to be a significant contributory factor in weight reduction.  Quoting from The American Journal of Clinical Study: ‘Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se. Green tea extract may have a role in body composition through sympathetic activation of thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both.’ It is believed that the high content of the EGCG in green tea influences the enzymes in the human system towards boosting metabolism and hence burning calories.  This claim has been validated by studies.  The result of one indicates a 4% increase in metabolic rate with the EGCG extract contained in 1 cup of green tea.  Another study indicated that men consuming tea augmented with EGCG lost more weight than their counterparts who consumed pure, unfortified tea. 

In conclusion, there is no question about the benefits of drinking green tea and its contributory effect in weight reduction.  Including green tea in ones diet can only yield advantageous results.