What is Tea?
Tea consists of the dried and processed leaves of Camellia sinensis.

What are the main types of Tea?
There are 4 main tea varieties: black, oolong, green and white

What is the difference between these types of teas?
Even though they come from the same plant, it is the degree of processing which makes them beneficially different from one another.

• White tea leaves undergo the least amount of processing. The young tea buds are picked and air-dried.
• Green tea leaves are steamed, rolled (breaking their cell structure) and dried immediately after harvesting, which halts the oxidation process and allows the green colour to be maintained.
• Oolong tea leaves are allowed to oxidize and are not rolled, which leaves their cell structure intact.
• Black tea leaves are the most oxidized, which turns their leaves black. Not only does black tea have the strongest flavor, but it also has the highest content of caffeine (~1/3 the caffeine content of a cup of coffee).

What about herbal tea?
This caffeine-free beverage is not a tea, but rather an infusion made from various leaves, flowers, fruits and herbs. Nevertheless, herbal tea is purported to boast various medicinal properties.

Why does tea have health benefits?
The many health benefits of tea include its potential to fight cancer and heart disease, lower “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, burn fat, prevent diabetes and stroke and even ward off dementia.   

Polyphenol antioxidants present in tea leaves are believed to be the key health-promoting ingredient.  These antioxidants scavenge for free radicals in the body. Free radicals can damage DNA and contribute to cancer.

Which teas should we drink to promote weight loss?

1. Matcha Green Tea
Many people drink green tea to obtain the health benefits of its most potent catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). But did you know a 2003 University of Colorado study confirmed that drinking 1 cup of matcha green tea has 137 times the amount of antioxidant EGCG compared to a conventional cup of green tea? This means you would have to drink 10 cups of regular green tea to receive the same amount of antioxidants found in just 1 cup of matcha green tea. Why? The reason is that the entire leaf is dissolved in water and consumed, rather than steeping the tea and subsequently throwing away the leaves. This means the whole leaf is consumed, along with its health benefits.

Drinking matcha green tea can prevent body fat accumulation and promote weight loss. A 1999 study featured in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that green tea extract rich in catechins has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by the tea’s caffeine content. It was found that consuming green tea increased thermogenesis (the body’s rate of burning calories) from 8-10% to 35-43% of daily energy expenditure. Another study demonstrated that exercising immediately after drinking matcha green tea resulted in 25% more fat burning during exercise. Both studies suggest matcha green tea can enhance both resting metabolic rate and fat burning, making it a useful addition to any weight loss program.

2. Oolong Tea
Both green and oolong tea contain catechins. Unlike green tea, oolong tea is partially fermented, which increases the concentration of its polyphenol antioxidants.

Polyphenols present in oolong tea help block fat-building enzymes, which prevent the formation of triglycerides. Research has shown that drinking oolong tea throughout the day will raise your metabolism for 2 hours after every cup and increases the caloric burn in your body by 100 calories per day. Another study showed that those who drank 2 cups of oolong tea had 2.5 times the calorie-burning rate of those who drank traditional green tea.

Is this a guaranteed weight-loss method? It’s still in the early research stages, but the results are indeed promising for enhancing fat metabolism and controlling obesity.

Tea-ing off,
Dr. Sara Solomon