You may have read about the benefits of green tea for weight loss. It appears that green tea isn’t the only tea that appears beneficial in taking off those extra pounds. Recent studies have shown that oolong tea can help to promote weight loss by increasing metabolic rate and facilitating the burning of fat. Could oolong tea be a viable solution for weight loss?
What exactly is this metabolism boosting tea known as oolong tea? As strange as its name may sound, oolong originates from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis, as the green and black teas. The difference in its properties lies in the degree of oxidation it undergoes during processing. While green tea leaves are not allowed to oxidize before processing, black teas undergo a period of oxidation after the leaves are picked, sometimes known as fermentation. Oolong tea is allowed to oxidize, but for a shorter period of time than black tea. Thus, oolong tea retains many of the antioxidants are other healthy chemicals that may be lost from black tea due to the prolonged oxidative process. Plus, the partial oxidation of oolong tea allows it to retain its pleasing, almost floral flavor. Interesting enough, oolong tea appears to have larger quantities of healthy polyphenols than does green tea which may account for the benefits of oolong tea for weight loss.
Is oolong tea for weight loss supported by scientific study? Several recent studies have suggested that oolong tea may increase the metabolic rate by as much as 20% when used on a daily basis. It appears to do this by increasing the expenditure of energy and promoting the oxidation of body fat stores. In fact, oolong tea has been shown to be more effective than green tea in promoting weight loss in the limited number of studies that have been performed.
One of the most compelling studies was performed by the U.S. Agriculture Research Services Diet and Human Laboratory in 2001. Twelve male volunteers were given oolong, caffeinated water, half strength oolong tea, or noncaffeinated water. The men who were given the full strength oolong tea were found to burn an average of sixty seven more calories per days than the other groups. They also showed an increase in the rate of fat oxidation that was not due to the caffeine alone. This result was confirmed by a Japanese study conducted two years later.
To get the positive effects of oolong tea for weight loss, you would need to consume at least two cups a day, although more would be beneficial. This may present a problem for extremely caffeine sensitive people, although oolong tea has much lower rates of caffeine than coffee. (20 – 50 mg). The good news is that most people find the taste of oolong tea to be quite pleasing and have no problems enjoying several cups per day.
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Should oolong tea for weight loss be a part of your daily weight control regimen? Although more studies will be needed to further solidify its role in weight loss, oolong tea is thought to have a variety of positive health benefits making it a wise choice of beverage, particularly if it’s taking the place of high sugar soft drinks. If you enjoy the taste, it may be beneficial to drink several cups of this tea per day for health. You could also consider alternating oolong tea with green tea to add some variety and still derive the benefits of the polyphenols and other healthy chemicals found in these teas.
