[PK Online Rumor] Can catechins burn fat? Zhao Hanying said so...

It is widely rumored on the Internet that "drinking green tea after a meal can help break down all the fat you just ate without being absorbed... drinking more green tea can burn fat and make you lose weight." Is this true? Let nutritionist Zhao Hanying explain.

Drinking tea can help burn fat, is it true?

Is it true that drinking tea can help you lose fat? Nutritionist Zhao Hanying said that the catechins in tea do have strong antioxidant properties, which are 25 times that of vitamin E and 100 times that of vitamin C. However, the currently recognized mechanism of action of catechins is to reduce the accumulation of some of the fat consumed in the body. As for Taiwan's health food certification "Catechins have the function of not easily forming body fat", it means that catechins can reduce the amount of food eaten that turns into body fat. However, if people eat too much greasy food, fat will still accumulate in the body.

Unfermented green tea and sencha are high in catechins

It is generally known that catechins also have bactericidal functions and can remove bad breath. Which type of tea has the highest catechin content? Comparing teas with different processing steps, the tea with the highest catechin content is unfermented tea, such as green tea, sencha, Longjing tea, etc.; the second highest is semi-fermented tea, such as Wenshan Baozhong tea, Dongding tea and other lightly fermented teas, and Oriental Beauty tea and other heavily fermented teas; the tea with the lowest content is fully fermented tea, such as black tea. However, due to the high amount of caffeine in green tea, which can irritate the gastric mucosa, it is recommended that you drink green tea after meals. It is best not to drink it on an empty stomach, as this will less likely damage your stomach.

High temperature can easily destroy catechins, so cold brewing can preserve them completely

As for how to brew tea to retain more catechins? Nutritionist Zhao Hanying said that since high temperatures can easily destroy polyphenol compounds such as catechins, it is best to use the cold brewing method when making tea in order to preserve more catechins. As for the brewed tea, it is best not to wait too long before drinking it, because the catechins contained in it will also be affected by factors such as the storage environment conditions (such as temperature, light), which will cause the catechins to decay.

Since tea contains not only catechins but also caffeine, people who easily have trouble sleeping after drinking tea are advised to avoid drinking tea after 4 pm to avoid insomnia at night. Poor sleep can lead to endocrine disorders and decreased metabolism, which is not conducive to weight loss.

[Nutritionist's Tips]:

Nutritionists remind us that if you want to lose weight, you must first understand what causes obesity? Once there are too many free radicals in the body, the body will be in a state of chronic inflammation, and chronic inflammation is one of the reasons for decreased metabolism. When your metabolism slows down, your waistline may get bigger day by day even if your daily calorie intake does not increase. The best formula for weight loss is balanced nutrition, combined with moderate exercise, to bring happiness to your body and mind, relieve stress and maintain a good physique.