Tea tablet me!
Have you heard about the latest weight loss trend? Green tea tablets have fast become the latest must-have for every weight loss hopeful, so what’s behind the magic?
It is no well-kept secret that green tea is good for the mind and soul, but it’s not for everyone. If green tea is not a flavour you like, there’s not a lot you can do to fix it. Finally there is a solution so all you green tea haters can benefit from its health benefits.
Before you blindly start taking the capsules, there are some basics you should know.
How are they made?
There are a few processes used to make green tea tablets with more on the way. The best dietary supplements are made using extracts of raw green tea. The leaves are dried and put into capsule form. You can usually only buy this supplement at a specialist health food store or online.
Other types of supplements are industrially processed to make a green tea extract. The tea leaves are brewed and the antioxidants are extracted. This form is a lot more common as it is used in: supplements, beverages, foods, and skin creams.
Another popular form is caffeine-free pills. These are made from concentrated forms of the catechins without the caffeine.
Are they as effective?
The catechin EGCG is one of the most beneficial elements in green tea, so this is the material that is extracted and put into green tea tablet form. The good news is that researchers have found that the EGCG in tablet form is just as effective as drinking a glass of green tea.
But, drinking green tea has many other beneficial ingredients aside from EGCG. The caffeine in tea also contains antioxidant properties beyond what the catechins provide. And, L-theanine, an amino acid, has calming effects on the nervous system.
How much should I have?
Some green tea capsules contain excessive amounts of polyphenols and EGCG. Some supplements contain anywhere from 100 – 750 mg of polyphenols in every tablet. With this sort of dose it's important to take the supplements in moderation.
The right amount is different for every person. So what is the right amount for you? The average person should only consume roughly 10 mg of extract per kilogram of body weight.
The low down
If you are going to go the route of green tea capsules, I would recommend buying high-quality tablets at a health food store that do not exceed the recommended daily allowance of catechins for your body weight.
But, keep in mind that green tea has been historically used as a drink, not a pill, and has been studied as such in Asia for centuries. The science on pills is new, so we don’t know the long-term effects.
photo credit: Philippa Willitts