Obese mice that were fed a compound found in green tea along with a high fat diet gained weight significantly more slowly than a control group of mice that did not receive the green tea supplement, said Joshua Lambert, assistant professor of food science in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
The researchers, who released their findings in the current online version of Obesity, fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet. Mice that were fed Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) a compound found in most green teas, along with a high-fat diet, gained weight 45% more slowly than the control group of mice eating the same diet without EGCG.
In addition to lower weight gain, the mice fed the green tea supplement showed a nearly 30% increase in fecal lipids, suggesting that the EGCG was limiting fat absorption, according to Lambert.
Lambert said: “Our results suggest that if you supplement with EGCG or green tea you gain weight more slowly. There seems to be two prongs to this. First, EGCG reduces the ability to absorb fat and, second, it enhances the ability to use fat.”
The green tea did not appear to suppress appetite. Both groups of mice were fed the same amount of high fat food and could eat at any time.
A person would need to drink ten cups of green tea each day to match the amount of EGCG used in the study, according to Lambert. However, he said recent studies indicate that just drinking a few cups of green tea may help control weight.
The National Institutes of Health supported this research.
Source: Obesity
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