Drink Tea to Lose Weight - Oolong Tea - Black Tea

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"According to traditional Chinese belief, oolong (black) tea is effective in the control of body weight," begins a new scientific* report. UNTIL NOW! Now it has been proven so.

What's the "magic" ingredient in tea that does the trick? Caffeine! The report observes the common prejudice against caffeine and notes, "No consistent scientific evidence links moderate (emphasis added) caffeine consumption to any health risks, including cancer, cardiovascular disease ...breast disease or birth defects." Except that some individuals find it makes them jittery or inhibits their sleep.

Okay, there are other ingredients in tea called catechins that contribute to its helpfulness in losing weight. The scientists quote other studies showing that green tea is similar to black in this regard. This is not surprising since green tea also has caffeine and catechins.

The study ends with a wise caveat, saying, "....any beneficial effect would only be realized upon 'persistent] consumption of tea and the individual did not compensate with greater food intake in response to tea consumption."

*Drs. Rumpler, Seale, Clevidence, Yamamoto, Komatsu, et al, of the U.S.D.A. Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, MD 20705 & Dept. of Nutrition, U. of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan, in The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 131, 2001.