to lose weight are typically anxious to hear
about any trick to make weight loss easier. One way to help
speed weight loss is to find ways to speed up the metabolism,
so that more calories are burned in a day.
Research has shown that caffeine is effective at speeding up
the metabolism, so that you burn more calories. According to
the Mayo Clinic, caffeine stimulates many body functions,
including the heart rate, central nervous system function and
metabolism.
In addition, caffeine may decrease the appetite short term. So,
adding caffeine may be an effective way to jump start weight
loss. There are some things to consider, however:
You may see no effect if you’re already a caffeine consumer. If
caffeine is already a part of your daily diet, you would likely
need very high doses of caffeine to increase your metabolism
above the level at which it already functions. However, those
who don’t regularly consume caffeine may see some benefit.
You must be careful where the caffeine comes from. If you start
getting your caffeine from sugary sodas, you’ll likely gain
weight rather than lose it. However, if you get your caffeine
from coffee, tea and sodas without sugar, you may see some
results.
You must consider your other health issues. If you already
suffer from an irregular heart rate or high blood pressure,
your doctor may have warned you to stay away from caffeine. If
this is the case, caffeine may not be safe for you. Be sure to
talk to your doctor before adding caffeine.
What if I’m Caffeine Sensitive?
Many people stay away from caffeine because they find that too
much caffeine causes sleeplessness or jitters. For these
people, supplementing with caffeine for weight loss might seem
unreasonable. However, there’s one form of caffeine that seems
to be tolerated well by those who are normally caffeine
sensitive.
Green Tea May Be the Answer
Green tea may well be the best way to get your caffeine for
weight loss. Though green tea does contain caffeine, it is in
smaller amounts than many other beverages. In addition, the
caffeine in green tea seems to be better tolerated by the
caffeine sensitive than other caffeinated beverages. This is
thought to be because of the anti-oxidants in green tea.
These anti-oxidants, in addition to making the caffeine less of
a problem, also offer a myriad of health benefits. Green tea’s
anti-oxidants have been shown to lower cholesterol and prevent
heart disease and some forms of cancer. So, even if you don’t
lose weight from drinking green tea, it’s a healthy habit to
add to your diet.
But, the best news is that in addition to being healthy and
well tolerated by the caffeine sensitive, it may just be that
green tea is the best way to get your caffeine for weight loss.
This is because studies have shown that green tea is more
effective in promoting weight loss than other caffeinated
beverages. The combination of caffeine and green tea’s
anti-oxidants appears to be more effective in promoting weight
loss than caffeine alone.
One important study on this subject was reported by the Obesity
Research Group. In this study, ninety overweight men and women
were studied. First, the group was put on a low calorie diet
for four weeks. The subjects were divided between low caffeine
consumers and high caffeine consumers. At the end of the four
week diet period, the subjects were placed on a weight
maintenance program. During this weight maintenance period,
subjects either received a green tea/caffeine supplement or a
placebo. Within the groups, both high caffeine consumers and
low caffeine consumers were given the green tea/caffeine
supplement. The weight maintenance period lasted for 3 months.
At the end of the study, the results were as follows:
-Caffeine consumers overall seemed to have higher satiety
levels and lower leptin levels, which helped speed weight loss.
-During the weight loss period, caffeine consumers lost more
weight than non-caffeine consumers.
-During the weight maintenance period, the low caffeine
consumers who received the green tea/caffeine supplement kept
off more weight than the low caffeine consumers who received
the placebo. In fact, many of them continued to lose weight.
-During the weight maintenance period, the high caffeine
consumers who received the green tea/caffeine supplement did
not report a significantly higher success rate in keeping the
weight off than those high caffeine consumers receiving the
placebo.
While more research is needed to truly determine how green tea
and caffeine can help with weight loss and maintenance, it does
appear that consuming green tea and other forms of caffeine can
help you lose weight. In particular, caffeine and green tea may
be especially effective for those who don’t consume a great deal
of caffeine on a regular basis. And, since green tea is a form
of caffeine that is well tolerated by most caffeine sensitive
people, green tea may be the best way to use caffeine as a
weight loss aid.
You have nothing to lose by adding green tea to your diet. It’s
healthy, refreshing and has no side effects. And even those who
are sensitive to other forms of caffeine can usually drink
green tea without experiencing unpleasant side effects. So, see
if green tea can help you in your efforts to lose weight!
About The Author: Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon
Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and
black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid#131839
##################