Green tea weight loss is a topic that has been highly debated by weight loss experts for decades, as products containing green tea have been linked to everything from weight loss to curing cancer. The real story behind green tea is somewhat different, and anyone who is considering this product for weight loss should know the truth about it before they buy.

What is Green Tea?

Green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis, like many other teas such as white, oolong and black, but is processed differently than these other teas to specifically create green tea. The exact process of making green tea involves getting the minimum oxidation possible. This plant is native to China, and these teas originated there. Now, green tea is produced in other locales, but the end product may be different depending upon conditions, horticulture methods, processing and harvest time.

Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea is a product which has undergone extensive scientific testing in recent decades, to determine if it truly does have long term health benefits. There have been some surprising results as to the effectiveness of the product, and although it may not live up to the reputation that weight loss marketing companies have built around it, green tea weight loss is not only possible, but is a very real benefit.

Evidence from many of these tests and studies show that green tea is effective in preventing heart disease. Also, it is true that green tea may help to lower the chances of developing cancer, but it should be noted that these studies show that to be the case only in certain types of cancer. The main factor about green tea weight loss that green tea users need to keep in mind is that green tea does elevate your metabolism slightly, but not enough to show immediate weight loss. The combination of polyphenols and caffeine from the green tea extract has been shown in studies to induce thermogenesis, which is the process of heat production. This combined with green tea's ability to stimulate fat oxidation can increase the user's metabolism nearly five percent without any increase to the heart rate.

The Mayo Clinic does list green tea extract as having the ability to increase caloric and fat metabolism, as well as another benefit that those seeking green tea weight loss can appreciate, the ability of the product to decrease appetite. Those companies that claim that green tea has the ability to make the person using the product lose weight instantly aren't telling the whole truth. Although green tea does produce instant weight loss, it is because of the diuretic effect of the product, which causes frequent urination and a loss of water weight. However, this weight loss is not permanent or even one hundred percent effective.

Green Tea Products

Green tea is available in a variety of different products, including green tea extract, which can be used to make the actual tea. It is one of the most potent ways to get the full effect of the green tea. However, green tea also comes in diet pill form, for those who don't want to drink tea. Many of the studies that the information provided here relies upon used green tea extract in diet pill form. There are also a couple of other types that consumers have to choose from including green tea gum and green tea mints, and several others.

Green tea certainly has its benefits, for both consumers who are considering it for weight loss, and for a host of related benefits as well, like the prevention of certain types of cancers or heart disease. You can get some of these benefits from any substance containing caffeine, but green tea is unique in the fact that it increases the metabolism, promotes thermogenesis and stimulates the oxidation of fat. Because of the combination of these factors green tea and weight loss is not only possible, but very likely, no matter which form that you choose to take green tea in.