black-tea-weight-loss

Does Black Tea Help With Weight Loss? [Burn Your Fat Fast]

The world is in a major run-in continuously trying and failing to identify different new weight loss strategies.  The main reason for that is, the number of obese individuals around the world is increasing at an alarming rate.

Now there’s a small surprise for you!

Did you ever know good old black tea can improve weight loss?

Yes! You read it right!

So far you must’ve heard Green tea as a weight loss aid.

When it comes to health benefits, black tea is often overshadowed by green tea- which is backed by decades of research demonstrating its ability to burn fat faster and aid in weight management.   

Is black tea good for weight loss?

Yes, New studies indicate that black tea should not be disregarded; it may be just as effective as green tea for weight loss – but its mechanism is different. Black tea polyphenols alter the gut microbiome, indirectly improving lean body mass. 

That’s not all! You and I both know, Black tea offers a rich and strong flavor with a full-bodied feel. It appeals to taste buds that prefer a bolder taste than green tea can offer.

So, are you a black tea lover?

Isn’t this a reason to love it even more?

Well, first and foremost there’s no such miracle drink that gives you a dream figure of a model. And even more, there’s no rocket science behind weight loss.

weight loss

If you consume fewer calories, instead of being sedentary all day every day, live an active day-to-day life, and have a healthy diet plan you can have your dream figure!

Keeping that in mind, you may add black tea to your healthy-eating diet plan. It’s going to be nothing but extra beneficial in place of high-calorie sugary beverages. 

How Can Drinking Black Tea Help Boost Weight Loss?

  • Black tea changes Gut Bacteria and it is prebiotic

A 2017 study conducted by Dr. Susanne Henning and colleagues has found green tea and as well as black tea alters the gut microbiome, acting as prebiotics, contributes to shedding pounds, and promoting good health[1]Henning, S.M., Yang, J., Hsu, M. et al. Decaffeinated green and black tea polyphenols decrease weight gain and alter microbiome populations and function in diet-induced obese mice. Eur J Nutr (2018) 57, 2759–2769.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1542-8.

There are different mechanisms involved in inducing weight reduction;

Green tea and black tea both contain high amounts of polyphenols. Green tea polyphenol molecules are smaller in size and thus are easily absorbed directly in the intestine. These polyphenols stimulate an alteration of energy metabolism in the liver.

On the other hand, black tea polyphenols molecules are too large and are not readily absorbed by the intestine. Thus, they are further transferred to the colon.

The mechanism-specific to black tea polyphenols begins there!

These black tea polyphenols act as prebiotics or in other words, as an energy source for the gut microbiome[2]Duynhoven J. V, Vaughan E.E, Dorsten F.V, Roldan V.G, Vos R.d, Vervoort J, Hooft J.J, Roger L, Draijer R, Jacobs D.M, Interactions of black tea polyphenols with human gut microbiota: implications for gut and cardiovascular health, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (2013) 98; 6,1631S–1641S, https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.058263.

So, these polyphenols promote the growth of the intestinal microbiome. It is a proven fact that some beneficial gut microbes correlate with body weight.

Research has revealed that these black tea polyphenol molecules decrease obesity-associated bacteria whereas increasing lean body mass is associated with the gut microbiome.

Gut microbiome metabolites, especially short-chain fatty acids are readily absorbed and they further stimulate an alteration of energy metabolism in the liver.

The researchers don’t know what triggered the change of fat metabolism when black tea is consumed, but they think short-chain fatty acids that were broken down by bacteria have something to do with it[3]Henning, S.M., Yang, J., Hsu, M. et al. Decaffeinated green and black tea polyphenols decrease weight gain and alter microbiome populations and function in diet-induced obese mice. Eur J Nutr (2018) 57, 2759–2769.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1542-8.

According to the above new findings, the research group has further suggested black tea may also contribute to good health and weight loss in humans.

That’s not all!

The prebiotic effect of black tea polyphenols promotes healthy digestion as well. In the same study, Black tea has increased specific bacteria called Pseudobutyrivibrio. They are suggested as the differing effect of black and green tea energy metabolism[4]Henning, S.M., Yang, J., Hsu, M. et al. Decaffeinated green and black tea polyphenols decrease weight gain and alter microbiome populations and function in diet-induced obese mice. Eur J Nutr (2018) 57, 2759–2769.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1542-8

The above findings were noticed in rodents.

Furthermore, the dose of black tea used in the experiment had been comparatively high; meaning a normal person might have to drink nearly six cups of strong tea per day to have the same weight loss effect.

In the meantime, black tea contains significantly higher amounts of caffeine and tannins.

So if you drink high amounts of black tea, it results in dehydration, an upset stomach, and in worst-case scenarios may cause nausea and vomiting.

So, it is obvious large amounts of black tea is not advisable to drink,

More research is needed to generalize the reliability of the above study results for humans. 

  • Black tea improves fat distribution

Black tea contains many beneficial polyphenols known as flavonoids. They are known to lower triglyceride levels, and to improve body weight[5]Pan, H., Gao, Y., & Tu, Y. (2016). Mechanisms of Body Weight Reduction by Black Tea Polyphenols. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 21 (12), 1659. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21121659.

  • Black tea decreases caloric intake

Black tea is a natural calorie-free beverage. Moreover, it doesn’t contain cholesterol or saturated fat at all. This in turn makes it a healthy alternative for high-calorie soft drinks or juice.

  • Black tea increases energy metabolism

Among all tea types, black tea contains the highest amount of caffeine.

Caffeine has long been known as an energy booster and also for increasing metabolic rate. Furthermore, it indirectly triggers fat burning reactions in the body.

But at the same time, you need to keep in mind; the effect of caffeine alone is not an adequate stimulant for weight loss. There’s one more concern.

Too much caffeine is known to cause dehydration and different other complications. So, bear in mind to have moderate amounts of caffeine-rich beverages.

  • Black tea decreased carbohydrate digesting enzyme activity

Black tea polyphenols can inhibit certain carbohydrate digestion enzymes, leading to an increase of residual complex carbohydrates.

These will in turn be digested to bacterial metabolites that can stimulate fat metabolism in the liver[6]Liu Z.B., Chen Z.C., Guo H.W., He D.P., Zhao H.R., Wang Z.Y., Zhang W., Liao L., Zhang C., Ni L. The modulatory effect of infusions of green tea, oolong tea, and black tea on gut microbiota in high-fat-induced obese mice. Food Funct. (2016), 7; 4869–4879. https://doi: 10.1039/C6FO01439A.  

Fermentable fiber together with black tea

Adding fermentable fiber into black tea may increase the weight-loss effect.

There are speculations; the prebiotic effect of fermentable fiber could facilitate the growth of beneficial bacteria that might produce secondary metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, responsible for weight-loss.

Even Though, more studies are needed to be conducted in the above area.

Is black tea or green tea better for weight loss?

Lead study author Susanne Henning – of the Center for Human Nutrition at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) – and colleagues recently reported their findings in the European Journal of Nutrition.

The above study revealed that both black tea and green tea experienced increases in gut bacteria related to lean body mass and decreases in gut bacteria associated with obesity[7]Henning, S.M., Yang, J., Hsu, M. et al. Decaffeinated green and black tea polyphenols decrease weight gain and alter microbiome populations and function in diet-induced obese mice. Eur J Nutr (2018) 57, 2759–2769.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1542-8.

Furthermore, the study says Black tea might as well be beneficial in weight loss as the same as widely acclaimed green tea. It is just that the mechanism of black tea in weight loss is different from green tea weight loss mechanism.

Does Chinese tea help with weight loss?

Chinese Black Tea Aids in Fat Loss

There is a different variety of black tea named Chinese black tea. The fermentation process of Chinese black tea is different.

Tea leaves are made into black tea by oxidation. In this process, a variety of new flavonoids are developed.

Whereas, tea leaves are fermented with microorganisms and aged for a prolonged period, resulting from a tea type with a different flavor as well as flavonoids.

Research suggests Chinese black tea extract is more beneficial in losing weight. You may opt to choose Chinese black tea in many stores across America.

How many cups of black tea a day to lose weight?

A study in 2014 involved 111 people showed three cups of black tea every day for continuous three months has significantly improved weight loss and reduced waist circumference[8]Bøhn, S. K., Croft, K. D., Burrows, S., Puddey, I. B., Mulder, T. P., Fuchs, D., Woodman, R. J., & Hodgson, J. M. Effects of black tea on body composition and metabolic outcomes related to cardiovascular disease risk: a randomized controlled trial. Food & function, (2014). 5(7), 1613–1620. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4fo00209a.

How to make the perfect cup of black tea for weight loss?

Preparing a piping hot cup of black tea is not a difficult task.

You may use either black tea bags or tea leaves. When you prepare your cuppa, be a little concerned about time and precision.

Other than that, pay attention to the quality of tea leaves as well.

If you prefer a stronger brew, the trick is to add more tea leaves. Steeping the tea for more than 3-5 minutes will only make your tea taste bitter.

While making your cup of black tea, make sure you don’t use distilled water but freshwater, which hasn’t been boiled yet.

It will prevent resulting in a flat and tasteless cup of tea. You may grate a piece of ginger or squeeze some lemon juice into your cuppa, to enhance the weight loss effect.

And that’s not all!

It will make your tea taste even better.  

Furthermore, to receive the best weight loss effect, avoid using any other flavor enhancers such as milk, honey, or sugar in your black tea.

What is the best time to drink black tea for weight-loss?

You may have your black tea in the morning paired with breakfast or in the afternoon before lunch. 

Black tea is a good choice while fasting?

It is okay to drink black tea while fasting; it does not harm people. On the contrary, it benefits from drinking black tea while fasting.

Recap…

Taking all the above into account, it can be suggested that black tea might as well be beneficial in weight loss as widely acclaimed green tea.

You may combine black tea with a healthy diet and some workout sessions focused on building lean body mass.

Drinking black tea alone is a delightful calorie-free alternative for sugary beverages.

Also on a side note keep an eye on your tea intake. Make sure you do not overdo it in a bid to lose weight. 

Now, go pour yourself a nice cuppa! Cheers to good health and a flat stomach!

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