You could enjoy green tea as your fave cuppa to jazz up your mornings, if not to give you a timely mental boost to wade through the intricacies of the day quickly. But never forget: That smoking hot (or ice-cold) nootropic drink from the Camella Sinensis evergreen shrub is your best ally to counter deadly abdominal fats and extend your years on the planet for longer.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how visceral fats wreak havoc on your overall health. More importantly, we’ll show you three key elements of how you can win the battle against belly fat by constantly drinking a cuppa green tea. Making it a mighty savior. Read on.
The Deadly Clutches of Visceral Fat
You may have wanted to get rid of that belly fat for the nth time. Well, surprise, surprise. The doctor says you need to keep that midsection as lean as possible, not just for the aesthetics of it but for your greater well-being.
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"The presence of visceral fat is a good predictor of the development of chronic metabolic disease, whether hypertension, heart disease or diabetes." |
So, what’s wrong with belly fat?
Of the two kinds of fats in our bodies, visceral fat (the fat that’s out of reach, hiding deep in the abdomen, making your belly swell as it’s wrapped around the liver and intestines) is very harmful as opposed to subcutaneous fat (the fat just under your skin you can pinch).
Visceral fat cells are “biologically active” compounds that secrete harmful chemicals (e.g., cytokines) and hormones linked to various degenerative diseases. Here are some of the illnesses associated with visceral fat:
- Asthma
- Cancer
- lower back pain
- Dementia
- Liver disease
- Gall bladder disease
- Gout
- Fertility problems
- Osteoarthritis
In short, visceral fat is total bad news. It can mean a shorter lifespan for you.
So, how do you know if your belly fat is screaming alarm bells? The answer lies in the measuring tape. Here’s to a rough estimate:
- Wrap a tape measure around your waist (above your belly button).
- It shouldn’t measure 35 inches and above if you’re a woman.
- And if you’re a man, it shouldn’t exceed 40 inches.
- Asians (and those of smaller frames) have a lesser benchmark: 31.5 inches for women and 35.5 inches for men.
Now, the bigger question is: How do you keep visceral fat under control? An active lifestyle and a healthy diet is good start. And lest we forget, a cuppa green tea.
3 Ways Green Tea Help You Fight Abdominal Fat
Like visceral fats, green tea has been found to harbor bioactive substances. Unlike those making up belly fat, these substances are helpful. They are key to breaking down fat cells and boosting metabolism to help you slim down and lose belly fat.
Below are green tea’s major components that can help you win the battle against belly fat.
1. EGCG the Metabolism Hero
With the powerful nature of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) to break down abdominal fat, you can call the plant antioxidant a hero. Interestingly, this mighty catechin works its magic more on visceral fat than subcutaneous fats.
So, how does EGCG work?
At the outset, you might think of exercising and dieting as the most sought-after way to burn fat. At the microscopic level, however, it all boils down to breaking down fat cells and moving them into your bloodstream.
Studies on animals point out that active compounds found in green tea, namely EGCG, help break down fat by boosting fat-burning hormones, namely norepinephrine.
Specifically, EGCG does this by inhibiting an enzyme that limits norepinephrine. In doing so, EGCG allows the fat-burning hormone norepinephrine to do its work unconstrained. In essence, it hastens your metabolic rate.
Green tea’s ability to boost your metabolism is termed thermogenesis. What’s jaw-dropping is this action allows your body to burn energy while asleep.
Studies have shown obese men who regularly took a cuppa lose weight faster than those who did not.
And yes. The good news is of all the plant nutrients or catechins in brewed cups of green tea, EGCG accounts for the more significant majority — technically about 50 to 80% of the total.
2. Caffeine to the Rescue
As powerful as EGCG is, it’s not alone in the fight versus belly fat. It has another most capable sidekick: caffeine.
From the onset, caffeine is an energy booster, allowing you to burn more energy and lose dreaded fats faster. It stimulates the CNS or central nervous system, making you more alert and focused. Small wonder caffeine is called a pick-me-up compound.
Moreover, caffeine suppresses hunger, extending your ability to produce work without grabbing a bit for longer. It’s no accident that when these two bioactive compounds, caffeine, and EGCG, work together, you strengthen your ability to fight belly fat.
Though green tea has less caffeine than black tea (and much less than coffee), its EGCG content can hardly be matched by other true tea types.
3. Catechins Galore
With the EGCG-caffeine tandem, green tea’s reputation as a mighty savior against belly fat seems all set. But there’s more.
Green tea has other potent catechins that can help fight abdominal fat. These are:
- epicatechin (EC)
- epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG)
- epigallocatechin (EGC)
These bioactive compounds have shown excellent antimicrobial benefits in preventing diseases. As potent antioxidants, they help strengthen the body’s cells and boost cellular metabolism, keeping you in tip-top shape.
One study of 60 obese people pointed out that those who regularly took green tea lost 7 pounds on average in three months. These individuals spent 183 calories more daily than those who did not partake of any green tea compound.