Against obesity green tea can prove to be a powerful ally. Until now, the studies on this particular effect of green tea were not exhaustive, but, thanks to recent scientific research, the scientists have been able to understand the mechanisms by which a good cup of green tea can be useful in countering overweight. The explanation, as always, goes through the microbiota! But let's try to better understand what the research published a few months ago in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry by an American team is about (Chung et al, Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2019).
Green tea is a drink rich in polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants. Previous studies have recognized its anti-cancer and anti-diabetes properties. The researchers therefore tried to understand if green tea could also act against obesity, as some studies may suggest. To understand this, the researchers analyzed a population of rodents and divided it into four groups. The first group was given a standard diet for 2 months, the second group a standard diet with the addition of green tea extracts, the third group a high-fat diet and the fourth a high-fat diet and green tea extracts. At the end of the two months, what emerged was that the group that had eaten a high-fat diet and had taken green tea extracts at the same time had a body weight that was 20% less than the group that had eaten only the high-fat diet. Not only that, those who had taken green tea also had lower insulin resistance and a lower level of inflammation localized in the adipose tissues and intestines. It was also very interesting to observe that, following the intake of green tea, the toxins produced by intestinal bacteria were also decreased in the bloodstream. Finally, and this is also the explanation of the beneficial properties just seen, green tea has been shown to act on the microbiota, making it more varied and fortifying the so-called good bacteria at the expense of bad ones. In fact, green tea has made it possible to reduce all the indicators of what is called leaky gut syndrome, which is a condition that in the long run increases the levels of inflammation, impairs digestive functions, increases the risk of obesity and diabetes and weakens the immune system.