Researchers may have unlocked the newest weight loss secret. It doesn’t come from a fad diet…or any diet for that matter. It’s a simple drink that you can sip on…and possibly watch the pounds fall off.

The new study comes from Joshua D. Lambert, Ph.D. He’s an assistant professor of food science at Penn State. Dr. Lambert’s lab studies obesity prevention…with a focus on natural remedies.

He recently fed animals a compound found in the drink…and he discovered it slashed their weight gain dramatically. His results were published in the journal Obesity.

“Our results suggest that if you supplement with (the drink) you gain weight more slowly,” says Dr. Lambert.

Dr. Emad Al-Dujaili is a nutrition and biological science expert. He’s a senior lecturer in biochemistry at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Scotland. He conducted his own study on the drink…and came up with similar results.

“Short term consumption reduces body fat and body weight,” says Dr. Al-Dujaili. “Consumption is cost effective, accepted by patients and has no reported side effects.”

So what is the beverage that may stifle weight-gain? Read on to find out…and see how it works.

Study Shows Weight Gain Slows

The beverage used in the study is none other than green tea.

Dr. Lambert fed a group of obese mice a green tea compound…along with a high-fat diet for six weeks. A second group was fed the same diet…but didn’t get the compound but.

Dr. Lambert says the group taking the compound gained weight significantly slower than the other group.

But how much slower?

They gained weight 45 percent more slowly than the control group that ate the same diet.

That wasn’t all…the mice showed almost a 30 percent increase in fecal lipids. Based on that data…Dr. Lambert suggests that green tea limits fat absorption.

And he offers more insight into how it actually works…

“There seems to be two prongs to this,” says Dr. Lambert. “First, (the compound) reduces the ability to absorb fat and, second, it enhances the ability to use fat.”

Breaking Down the Beverage

So what is the compound in green tea? It’s called Epigallocatechin-3-gallate…also known as EGCG. And that’s what slowed weight gain to a crawl.

Dr. Lambert was sure to add that there was no difference in food intake between the two groups.

“The mice are essentially eating a milkshake, except one group is eating a milkshake with green tea,” says Dr. Lambert.

You can get green tea at any grocery store. It’s also now available as a supplement…in many forms. You can find them online…or at a health food store.

Doctors from the University of Maryland Medical Center recommend two to three cups per day. For green tea extract…they say 100 – 750 mg per day.

But Dr. Lambert says a person would have to drink 10 cups to achieve the effects reported in his study. But he notes that research shows a few cups will help.

“Tea drinkers who only consume one or more cups a day will see effects on body weight compared to nonconsumers,” says Dr. Lambert.

Dr. Lambert’s study is only the newest line of research supporting this theory. Clinical studies say green tea may help burn fat…and boost metabolism.

Green tea continues to be a promising supplement for all areas of health. We’ll keep you updated on the latest findings on green tea as they happen.

To your best health,

Michael Jelinek,
Managing Editor, NHD “Health Watch”