EGCG and fat loss

Green tea extract ( Camellia Sinensis ) is a widely used supplement in the fitness sector, among other reasons for its ability to accelerate fat loss. Although some of the purported benefits of tea are not supported by solid scientific evidence, teas contain a variety of biologically active compounds that can influence multiple metabolic reactions . Among them, egcg is the most powerful and abundant catechin in tea; So when buying a supplement, its concentration is what we should look at.

In current literature, consumption of this substance has been shown to offer many health benefits, however, in this post I am going to focus solely on the mechanisms and ability of it to induce fat loss.

Effects:

• Prevent carbohydrate absorption (by inhibiting the activities of alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase and the intestinal sodium-dependent glucose transporters, sglt1 ).
• Prevent the absorption of fats and inhibit pancreatic lipase.
• Reduce blood glucose levels and/or increase insulin sensitivity (anti-diabetic potential).
• Increase energy expenditure.
• Increase lipid oxidation.

For all these reasons, green tea extract (with a higher percentage of EGCG ) is one of the few supplements that in my opinion can be effective in significantly accelerating fat loss . So much so, that tea extract has been postulated in numerous investigations as a possible clinical tool for the treatment of obesity or diabetes.

Adrián Díaz Rúa is a PhD student in Physiology from the University of Vigo,
expert in sports nutrition and advisor in the formulation of professional nutritional supplements for Big®