You are probably aware that drinking tea is good for your health. Some of the many reasons include the healthful properties of the antioxidants which keep all your body’s cells working well as well as the metabolism boosting effects from caffeine but could there be more?
Good news for tea lovers is that a recent study suggests green and black tea may have an even stronger ability to help you lose weigh because of compounds called polyphenols. Polyphenols act like antioxidants and research suggests may positively impact your liver to increase your metabolism and consequently your fat burning abilities. You may be scratching your head to how this is possible and if so continue reading.
Firstly size matters! A study recently published in the European Journal of Nutrition discovered the polyphenols in black tea differ in size to other varieties such as green. Green tea has smaller polyphenols and so can be absorbed into your blood stream and other tissues like the liver.
The polyphenols in green tea can directly influence your liver and increase your metabolism however black tea has polyphenols which are too large to slip through into your blood stream and other cells. The polyphenols of black tea are forced to stay in your gut and as a result influence your ‘good bacteria’ in your gut by increasing their number. These friendly or good bacteria have many benefits for your health which includes enhancing your metabolism indirectly by producing a message which is sent to your liver which tells it to increase the fat burning in your body.
The good news for green tea drinkers is that some of the polyphenols are not absorbed directly into your bloodstream and also stay in your gut and assist in the growth of your good bacteria. This means both black and green tea are classified as prebiotics which are vital health components to keep your gut healthy.
Probiotics not only increase the numbers of the good bacteria in your gut but also enhance your immunity and create the ‘feel good’ hormone serotonin. When your gut is more in balance with more good bacteria your whole body feels better as you have something called the ‘brain-gut axis’ which is like a strong connection between your brain and your guts. 70% of the serotonin in your body is produced in your guts so it is true to say when your guts are happy you are happy too.
Take home message: the reasons to sip of a cup of black or green tea keep increasing and it goes beyond being a useful way to hydrate your body but may be a factor to help you live a long and healthy life.
Reference:
- Hennings, S.M., Yang, J., Hsu, M. et al. Eur J Nutr (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s0039017-1542-8
