People have always been known to want to do and achieve things instantly. The same thing can be said in diets and weight loss. Impatience usually leads a dieter to resort to taking supplements or weight loss pills to try to get rid of those fats faster.

But recent controversies on the use of diet and weight loss pills have made several people hesitate at using them. Several weight loss pills are based on certain substances, like ephedra, that may be harmful for the body. This is why researchers are trying to come up with other potential resources to make weight loss pills that are safer to use.

A study conducted at the University of Geneva was recently published and it concerned itself with the weight loss benefits of green tea extract. It said that green tea has certain antioxidants in them like catechin polyphenols and flavonoids that help in increasing metabolic rates of the body. The publication of the study’s results prompted several pharmaceutical companies to incorporate green tea extract into their weight loss pills.



Green Tea, the Plant

Green tea is the common name for the herb Carmellia sinensis. The green tea plant came from China originally where it was cultivated specifically for its various health and medicinal benefits. Today, green tea is known to possess certain substances that can cure several diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and even ulcers. Because of its thermogenic properties, pharmaceutical companies are also using extracts of the green tea plant as one of the main ingredients in weight loss pills.



Green Tea, the Weight Loss Pill

The theory of weight loss pills is based on the fact that losing weight is done in two ways: retard fat intake or expedite its burning. Weight loss pills are known to do both these things.

Ingredients in weight loss pills such as Hoodia Gordonii can suppress hunger and stop food cravings. Another important ingredient in weight loss pills is glucosamine which can delay the effect of insulin, thus directly transforming sugar into energy instead of fat. Other components of a typical weight loss pill include cocoa extract (a diuretic), citrus fiber, vanadium, and glucomannan, all of which have anti-hunger properties.

The addition of green tea extract into weight loss pills has become common practice among pharmaceutical companies. Like cocoa extract, green tea is also an effective natural diuretic. Green tea can help rid the body of extra water that contributes to bloat and puffiness of the body.

But aside from being a diuretic, green tea is also a major contributor to fat-burning. The catechin polyphenols found in green tea effectively increases the metabolic rates of the body and also reduce food intake. Green tea also contains the substance flavanoid that fight free radicals that might be harmful for the body.

Because of these properties, green tea therefore makes for an excellent and healthy component of weight loss pills.

In the mood for a sticky diet?

The hysteria on low carb diet has brought the onset of several dieting products that are based on low carb approaches. One of the newest products to hit the dieting market are weight loss patches.

Inspired by the success of nicotine patches marketers struck on the idea that weight loss patches may work the same way. Weight loss patches are basically designed for people who forget to take their regular dosage of weight loss supplements or capsules. With weight loss patches, a person will no longer need to take pills as he will have a 24-hour supply of weight loss substance stuck to his skin.

Weight loss patches are commonly made from such ingredients as algae and seaweed which are known appetite-suppressants. Later studies on weight loss and diets led to the use of green tea as a weight loss patch.



Green Tea as Weight Loss Patches

As far back as the Ming dynasty and perhaps even earlier than that, green tea has been used as herbal remedy and overall health drink in China. In recent times, speculations on the use of green tea as a possible remedy for cancer have arisen due to the discovery that the polyphenol substance found in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing.

The polyphenols in green tea weight loss patches also have other uses. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that green tea polyphenols can speed up the metabolic rate of the body. With this recent discovery, several companies specializing in pharmaceutical products have started introducing green tea into the market as a supplement either in the form of diet pills or weight loss patches.

Green tea weight loss patches are a better alternative to other products since they have no adverse side-effects. Other substances that induce weight loss like ephedra may increase heart rates which could lead to cardiovascular complications.

Green tea weight loss patches are good for people with high LDL, the bad cholesterol found in the body. Because the antioxidants in green tea weight loss patches destroy LDL cholesterols while at the same time enhancing the good cholesterol levels in the body, a balance in the body is achieved which could only lead to overall good health and well-being.

Green tea weight loss patches works in two ways. First, they suppress appetite naturally and safely. A study at the University of Chicago showed that rats when injected with green tea can lose up to 21% of their bodyweight. This is due to the fact that a substance present in green tea acts as a natural appetite-suppressant that staves off hunger.

Green tea weight loss patches also increase metabolism. With their high epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) content, green tea weight loss patches have a distinct advantage over stimulant diet drugs which can be harmful to individuals with hypertension and heart complications.

Green tea has always been known to have several health benefits, but who knew that it could contribute to weight loss as well?

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that green tea extract can increase metabolism and fat oxidation of the body. In theory, scientists believe that the weight loss benefits of green tea extracts are due to their caffeine content but the results of the study show otherwise as they discovered that green tea extracts have weight loss benefits beyond that of caffeine.

In their study, the researchers administered alone the same amount of caffeine as that in green tea extracts but found that it did not make any significant changes in the body’s overall energy expenditure. This led them to conclude that green tea extracts have ingredients in them that actively interact with each other, promoting increased metabolism and fat oxidation that lead to weight loss.