Can tea help with weight loss?

Tea is very much a staple of the British diet. In the UK, a staggering 100 million cups of tea are drunk each day! But, does drinking tea actually help with weight loss?

Drinking tea will help you to keep hydrated but it also naturally high in amounts of health-promoting substances called flavonoids. Flavonoids are believed to bring down inflammation and help protect against conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

Teas have a type of flavonoid called catechins, that may boost metabolism and help your body break down fats more quickly. The caffeine in many teas increases your energy use, which causes your body to burn more calories.

A cup of this herbal infusion each day will not lead to a huge amount of weight loss. But, some research suggests tea may help you lose a very small amount of weight when it is combined with a balanced and healthy diet and exercise. Tea will also make a wonderful alternative for the more calorie rich coffee drinks. If you swap out your morning mocha latte for a cup of tea with lemon, you will trim almost 300 calories from your daily total!

Types of tea:

Black tea is often used to make iced tea. It goes through a process of oxidation, this allows it to change chemically and often increases its caffeine content. The tea has a strong, rich flavour. Research done on rats suggests that substances called polyphenols in black tea might help block fat from being absorbed in the intestines. However, more research is needed.

Green tea is usually not oxidized. The leaves are simply steamed and then crushed by hand. It is especially high in the most potent type of catechin, called EGCG. Some studies have shown that people who took an EGCG-rich green tea extract, or drank catechin-enhanced green tea, lead to some weight loss. However, seven cups a-day were needed to be drunk.

Oolong tea is made by withering tea leaves in the hot sun and then put through an oxidation process. Like green tea, it's a rich source of catechins. In one study, more than two-thirds of overweight people who drank oolong tea every day for six weeks lost some weight, but this was in conjunction with healthy eating and exercise.

A few cups of daily tea might give you a slight push towards your weight loss goals, but this needs to be done along with a healthy and a balanced diet and exercise. Do enjoy some tea, alongside your healthy diet to reach your slim transformation gaols.