Oolong tea may contribute to weight loss

August 9, 2005 - Oolong Tea may contribute to weight loss, according to the results of a clinical trial conducted in Japan.
Researchers from the laboratory of a oolong tea manufacturer led a clinical double-blind trial with 35 employees of the company. Their goal: to verify the effect of catechins, polyphenols in tea, on weight loss. They have prepared two drinks based on oolong tea: one rich in catechins (690 mg/340 ml), while the other contained only very few (22 mg/340 ml). Both showed have low caffeine.
During the 12 weeks of the test, subjects were given a diet corresponding to the normal fat intake of Japanese people. Everyone drank 340 ml of oolong tea each day, 17 subjects taking the rich in catechins tea, 18 taking the lower one.
The results indicate that subjects who drank tea rich in catechins have lost more weight than the control group. They also had less body fat and fewer deposits of subcutaneous fat than those who consumed tea contains little catechins.
The action of antioxidant catechins which prevent the accumulation of fat in body tissues. Although this test has been funded by a manufacturer (Kao Corporation, Tokyo) and the number of participants has been minimal, the effects are sufficiently marked for justification for conducting independent studies further.
The green tea and oolong tea are generally richer in catechins than black tea. Very popular in Japan, oolong tea is the result of a partial fermentation of tea leaves (Camellia sinensis). It is therefore between green tea (dried leaves, but not fermented) and black tea which has exposed with further fermentation.