Goodbye Fat

To burn fat, your body must first break it down in the fat cell and move it into your bloodstream.

Animal studies suggest that the active compounds in green tea can aid this process by boosting the effects of some fat-burning hormones, such as norepinephrine (noradrenaline).

The main antioxidant in tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), can help inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine.

When this enzyme is inhibited, the amount of norepinephrine increases, promoting fat breakdown.

In fact, caffeine and EGCG — both of which are found naturally in green tea — may have a synergistic effect.

Ultimately, your fat cell breaks down more fat, which is released into your bloodstream for use as energy by cells like muscle cells.

References:

Lu, H., Meng, X., & Yang, C. S. (2003). Enzymology of methylation of tea catechins and inhibition of catechol-O-methyltransferase by (−)-epigallocatechin gallate. Drug metabolism and disposition, 31(5), 572-579.

Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S. (2010). Green tea catechins, caffeine and body-weight regulation. Physiology & behavior, 100(1), 42-46.