1: Mol Nutr Food Res. 2006 Feb;50(2):176-87.

Anti-obesity effects of green tea: from bedside to bench.

Wolfram S, Wang Y, Thielecke F.

DSM Nutritional Products, Department of Human Nutrition and Health, Basel,
Switzerland. swen.wolfram@dsm.com

During the last decade, the traditional notion that green tea consumption
benefits health has received significant scientific attention and, particularly,
the areas of cardiovascular disease and cancer were subject to numerous studies.
Due to the ever-growing obesity pandemic, the anti-obesity effects of green tea
are being increasingly investigated in cell, animal, and human studies. Green
tea, green tea catechins, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) have been
demonstrated in cell culture and animal models of obesity to reduce adipocyte
differentiation and proliferation, lipogenesis, fat mass, body weight, fat
absorption, plasma levels of triglycerides, free fatty acids, cholesterol,
glucose, insulin and leptin, as well as to increase beta-oxidation and
thermogenesis. Adipose tissue, liver, intestine, and skeletal muscle are target
organs of green tea, mediating its anti-obesity effects. Studies conducted with
human subjects report reduced body weight and body fat, as well as increased fat
oxidation and thermogenesis and thereby confirm findings in cell culture systems
and animal models of obesity. There is still a need for well-designed and
controlled clinical studies to validate the existing and encouraging human
studies. Since EGCG is regarded as the most active component of green tea, its
specific effects on obesity should also be investigated in human trials.

PMID: 16470636 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]