Organic Green Tea (Matcha) Leaf Powder
Organic green tea (matcha) leaf powder is a natural ingredient found in a certain number of high quality weight management supplements. This substance is made out of the leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant. That is the same plant that is used for making green tea and other popular forms of tea.
To prepare the leaves to make this ingredient, they are steamed and pan fried before being left to dry. This is different from the process used for making the other forms of tea that come from this same plant, such as black tea and oolong tea, as their processing requires fermentation or partial fermentation, respectively.
How Is Organic Green Tea (Matcha) Leaf Powder Used For Weight Loss?
Organic green tea leaf powder made from matcha is used for a number of different medicinal purposes. This includes everything from mental alertness to inflammation reduction. That said, this substance has also shown to contain polyphenols that may be very helpful in supporting dieters to eat properly, exercise regularly and reach their goals.
Organic Green Tea (Matcha) Leaf Powder Studies and Research
Researchers haven’t yet discovered exactly how organic green tea matcha leaf powder offers such a large number of benefits to the body. The ingredient has been extensively researched and while more benefits are being regularly identified, it’s still not entirely clear how this substance produces them all.
A 1999 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that green tea increased the metabolic rate of participants. This meant that for every 24 hour period within which they took the green tea, they expended more energy than the placebo group. That energy requires fuel, which comes in the form of calories from food or body fat. This suggests that the ingredient may help the body burn more calories and fat than it otherwise would.
In 2002, study results were published in the Phytomedicine journal, indicating that green tea promotes increased thermogenesis in the body (where the body temperature rises, causing it to burn more fuel from food or stored fat), and that it simultaneously inhibited lipase in the pancreas and gastric system. Lipase is an enzyme required for the digestion of dietary fat. When there is less present, it can mean that some dietary fat cannot be digested and that it will pass through the body without being absorbed, negating its caloric impact.
A 2009 meta analysis in the International Journal of Obesity determined that the EGCG catechins in green tea, combined with caffeine, can make a difference to a user’s ability to lose weight or maintain lost weight.
In 2005, researchers published a study in the Obesity journal in which they identified certain ways in which green tea can help boost fat burning in women, showing that the ingredient promotes thermogenesis and fat oxidation while suppressing leptin. This is particularly effective among individuals who hadn’t consumed much daily caffeine prior to the study.
* Abdul G Dulloo, Claudette Duret, Dorothée Rohrer, Lucien Girardier, Nouri Mensi, Marc Fathi, Philippe Chantre, and Jacques Vandermander. “Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans”. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. December 1999. Volume 70, Issue 6, pages 1040-1045.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/6/1040.short
**P. Chantre, D. Lairon. “Recent findings of green tea extract AR25 (Exolise) and its activity for the treatment of obesity”. Phytomedicine. 2002 Volume 9, Issue 1, pages 3-8.
*** Hursel, R., Viechtbauer, W., Westerterp-plantenga, M S. “The effects of green tea on weight loss and weight maintenance: a meta-analysis”. International Journal of Obesity. 2009 Volume 33, Issue 9, pages 956-61.
**** Westerterp-Plantenga, M.S., Lejeune, M.P.G.M., Kovacs E.M.R. “Body Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance in Relation to Habitual Caffeine Intake and Green Tea Supplementation”. Obesity. 2005 Volume 13, Issue 7, pages 1195-1204.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2005.142/full
