Can Green Tea Fat Burners Help You Lose Weight?

Much like purified water, green tea is among the healthiest beverages you can consume.

For centuries, cultures across the globe have praised green tea for its seemingly innumerable health benefits. A review of human studies on green tea consumption published in Current Pharmaceutical Design  backs these claims, noting that green tea extract can help prevent chronic illness, provide weight loss support, offer powerful antioxidant protection, and encourage healthy aging.  

In recent years, supplement companies have capitalized on green tea health benefits, creating green tea fat burners and green tea leaf extract products. These dietary supplements claim to boost fat loss, increase BMR (basal metabolic rate), offer an antioxidant boost, and provide sharp energy and focus — but is there any science to back these claims? 

Below, we explain the science behind green tea fat burners and how to select a high-quality product from the shelf or when shopping online.

Please note: The following information is meant for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice.

What Are Green Tea Fat Burners?

In simple terms, a green tea fat burner is an extract of green tea leaf in supplement form, typically packaged as raw powder in liquid soft-gels or gelatin capsules.

As illustrated by a review of human and animal studies in Chinese Medicine, green tea has a wide range of health benefits. 

Consuming green tea can reduce your risk of developing cancer, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. In addition, green tea is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidative, neuroprotective, and has weight management effects.

So, what makes green tea so healthy?

Scientists believe the health benefits of green tea are due to its polyphenol content — representing an average 30% of the dry weight of green tea leaves. In particular, two polyphenols — catechin and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) — are suggested to be the primary constituents responsible for the health-promoting properties of green tea (more on this below).

While you can get the benefits of green tea by simply drinking tea each morning, you can also consume them from a concentrated green tea leaf extract supplement. Consumer Reports noted that in 2015, consumers spent over $140 million on green tea weight loss supplements.

In the United States, weight loss supplements are not regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). As you might guess, this makes it difficult

3 Health Benefits of Green Tea Fat Burners

Above, we previewed the wide range of health-promoting nutrients of green tea fat burners. Now, we’ll show you exactly how these supplements provide so many benefits.

1. Green Tea Can Increase Weight Loss

As described by research in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, green tea can improve weight loss in both humans and animals.

Green tea has a thermogenic effect in humans, meaning it can increase your BMR (basal metabolic rate). The thermogenic effect has mostly been attributed to its caffeine, L-theanine, and epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) content, as shown in the International Journal of Experimental and Clinical Pathophysiology and Drug Research. In other words, green tea can increase calorie burning, thereby contributing to weight loss. 

Not quite convinced? Here are three studies demonstrating the weight loss benefits of green tea: 

• Obesity Society: Japanese men and women lost an average of 10% body fat mass compared to 2.2% in the placebo group over 12 weeks of consuming green tea. 
• Internal Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology: In an open study, green tea extract caused moderately obese patients to lose 4.6% bodyweight over a three-month period.
• British Journal of Nutrition: In this study, participants taking a mixture of caffeine and green tea EGCGs increased their 24-hour energy expenditure (calories burnt) by roughly 3.5%.

Translation: Green tea extract, alongside a well-balanced, calorie-controlled diet, can improve weight loss by increasing resting/basal metabolic rate.

2. Green Tea Increases Athletic Performance

In competitive sports, each athlete is looking for an edge. Green tea can improve exercise performance and help you tackle your workouts.

In a 2009 study published in Human Kinetics Journals, green tea was shown to improve male cyclist performance. Originally, the researchers believed this was due to the caffeine content of green tea.

However, new research shows you can thank the superior levels of EGCG of green tea — not caffeine — for improvements in your exercise plan. In a 2011, double-blind placebo study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that EGCG from green tea extract helped increase VO2 Max during endurance exercise. In 2015, a double-blind study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, cyclists saw a 10.9% improvement in the distance covered during a 40-minute time trial (and nearly a 25% increase in fat oxidation).

3. Green Tea Reduces Belly Fat (Visceral Fat) 

Visceral fat is the type of fat that wraps around your organs. Visceral fat has been linked to a number of heart conditions, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, and even stroke. 

Luckily, the fat-burning ability of green tea may include reducing visceral fat. In 2012, a 12-week study published in the Journal of Functional Foods found that daily intake of catechin-enriched green tea significantly reduced visceral fat. Another study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that green tea helped reduce belly fat in rats and helped reduce inflammation.

How to Use Green Tea Fat Burners for Weight Loss

Green tea fat burners can help you reach your weight loss goals — but only under the right conditions.

When it comes to weight loss supplements — even in the form of green tea extract — there is no magic pill. As with all things, taking a green tea fat burner will work best when you follow a reduced-calorie diet and a regular workout plan.

For the best results with green tea fat burners, keep the following in mind:

• Follow a (healthy) calorie deficit: To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. However, as described in the British Journal of Nutrition, you should not follow an extremely calorie-restricted diet. Under extreme deprivation, you could actually move further away from your weight-loss goals.

Limit caffeine: While caffeine can help burn calories, high amounts of caffeine can actually hinder weight loss, as evidenced by research in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Green Tea Fat Burners Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why can't I just drink tea to burn fat? 

In clinical studies, participants who showed the greatest weight loss consumed concentrated green tea supplements that were high in EGCGs. In other words, you would have to consume an enormously high amount of green tea to see these weight loss benefits (upwards of 15 cups per day).

2. How much caffeine is in green tea?

The average dose of caffeine ranges from 15-50 mg — considerably less than the amount in your average cup of coffee.

Avoid crash diets or extreme calorie restriction, and follow a regular workout plan. Also, consider increasing your protein intake to build muscle mass and burn fat.

There are limited studies on matcha for weight loss. However, matcha can be used as a natural and organic pre-workout option for increasing performance.

In large doses, the caffeine in green tea can temporarily suppress appetite. But overall, green tea alone isn’t the best appetite suppressant.

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements reports no adverse safety concerns for green tea beverages. Low-quality green tea extracts and supplements may cause constipation, abdominal discomfort, nausea, and increased blood pressure. Moreover, always take a green tea extract supplement with a full glass of water to prevent choking.

No, most shouldn't. Unfortunately, a product created called Applied Nutrition Green Tea Fat Burner contains an ingredient flagged by the state of California Proposition 65 warning to cause reproductive harm and birth defects. Unfortunately, the company does not state which ingredient this is, only saying it contains maximum strength "vitality boost, botanicals, and antioxidant boosts.”

Store green tea fat burners in a cool, dry place. Remember to keep supplements out of reach of children, and discard supplements with broken safety seals.

Why the PhysiqueSeries Fat Burner Is the Best Green Tea Fat Burner

Green tea leaves are an abundant antioxidant source that help neutralize free radicals, fight inflammation, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and encourage healthy weight loss. Unfortunately, many green tea fat burning supplements are nothing more than clever marketing and eye-catching product labels.

Transparent Labs PhysiqueSeries Fat Burner contains 200 mg of EGCG-rich green tea extract per serving, along with eight other ingredients. By combining green tea, Forslean™ (forskolin), and synephrine, the increase in thermogenesis is amplified. Plus, one serving of green tea fat burner contains 240 mg of caffeine plus mood-enhancing L-tyrosine and L-theanine. 

Lastly, the PhysiqueSeries Fat Burner is made without soybean oil, soy lecithin, artificial sweeteners, and artificial preservatives.

For the safest green tea fat burner to increase weight loss, try the Transparent Labs PhysiqueSeries Fat Burner today.