Green Tea Extract: For Anti-Aging, Weight Loss, Antioxidant
Green tea contains a very powerful anti-aging chemical, EGCG, which stimulates the release of human growth hormone (also referred to as HGH or GH).
Recent scientific research on EGCG, the active component of green tea, shows that it can reverse Alzheimer’s Disease (getting scientific here, by de-phosphorylating the 201st serine residue on the 221 amino-acid residue Tau protein).
Longevity: Another study showed that Green tea extract when taken with curcumin makes mice live 20% longer.
Its well known for increasing metabolism, is also considered to be an appetite suppressant, and is reported to be effective for weight loss. (I personally tired it for this effect and did not experience this benefit, but it could have been the particular brand. Keep in mind that the effectiveness of any health supplement can vary from one brand to another.)
Its good to take green tea extract or ECGC before a high carb meal, because it coverts the calories to muscle instead of to fat (this is called a partitioning effect).
Green tea or ECGC is one of the most known and researched health supplements. Most people probably know it for its powerful antioxidant effect. It is believed that Green tea and ECGC is one of the key reasons contributing to the longevity of the Japanese people who consume large amounts of green tea.
Green tea extract is also used to treat acne, help control blood glucose level and fight diabetes, fight obesity, prevent and eliminate cancer, heart diseases, boost brain function, reduce unhealthy cholesterol, anti-aging, immune booster, promote relaxation, among other benefits.
Anti – Cancer: I caught a news cast in which it was reported that a study has shown that EGCg could lessen your chances of breast cancer by 50%.
If you take cancer prevention seriously, green tea extract should be on your supplement list, especially if your diet is not the best. Green tea extract / ECGC is a free radical scavenger and should be included in any proactive person’s health arsenal.
With such a wide range of benefits – brain health, anti-cancer, heart disease preventative, weight loss etc., everybody over the age of 50 should take Green Tea Extract rich in EGCG. It’s one of the cheapest ways to keep you in perfect shape. Remember, the cost of taking supplements now to maintain good health will be far less than the cost of getting ill.
It is good in fighting free radicals inside your body including the brain.
Helps maintain sugar levels and fights cancer. (Slows progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) – cancer.)
It’s a strong standardized supplement and a major step for cancer prevention. Would require drinking 10 cups a day to get this much EGCg. Everyone should seriously consider.
It was suggested to me by many articles on arthritis and the immune system that drinking green tea was very beneficial.
NATURAL antioxidants vary quite wildly in their pricing. Pycnogenol and Enzogenol are at the high end, with red wine extract and green tea being at the lower end, with natural vitamin E and C (e.g. Madre C) somewhere nearby, and grape seed somewhere in the middle, along with the good quality carotenoids.
Green Tea Side Effects:
Watch iron levels when you want to take green tea capsules. Some individuals may develop anemia if they consume large amounts of green tea extract every day. This may require supplementing with iron.
Green tea is a natural blood thinner. If you are on blood thinning medication, or if you are a “bleeder” you should not take green tea extract (nor should you drink green tea). Check with your doctor.
Customer Reviews of Some popular brands of green tea extract
Source naturals green tea extract:
“These have a very high amount of ECGC per tablet and are cost efficient. Tablets are small but kind of gritty, so every once in awhile have problems swallowing them. This has the highest amount of EGCG in a tablet that I could find. The taste is real bitter so don’t let it linger in your mouth before swallowing. The pill is a bit hard to swallow and it melts very fast. I have been using this as part of weight loss programme. This is part of the PAGG stack and has worked well for me. Use twice a day, and You will have more energy, and Your immune system will be improved! What a disappointment to learn it’s decaffeinated. It’s good if you are looking for that, but I do not like the decaf pills because the effect is minimized, it’s been confirmed by health specialists. Swallowing this brand of green tea extract capsule is very difficult. It is like a little porous sponge that sticks to the side of your mouth the millisecond it makes contact, no matter now viciously you swig the water back. And then the bitterness hits you as you desperately try to gag it back before the awful thing dissolves any further.”
NOW FOODS GREEN TEA EXTRACT 400 mg
“Take one capsule with a heavy meal, and you’ll be able to maintain your weight. I find that if I take this after consuming a reasonably-sized portion of food instead, it makes me lose even more weight. Be cautious, though. Consuming this on an empty stomach will most probably upset your stomach, so make sure you take this with or after a meal. Green tea has so many other health benefits, and being able to reap those benefits with these nifty capsules sure beats drinking 6 cups of green tea a day!”
“These give me so much energy! i feel wonderful and so active after taking these, however if i take two at the same time i have so much energy i cannot sleep so i just take one.”
“I have been using this at a rate of 3 or 4 a day for 2 weeks and I have more energy, my hunger is gone, eating less and feeling leaner”.
“I was taking it 2 times a day (morning and evening), then noticed frequent urination at night. So I cut back to once a day. I gradually stopped taking it and started gaining weight. Guess it was helping with weight loss and didn’t realize it.”
“Warning: If you take with taurine it could make your heart race.”
“The amount of EGCG in these caps are is one of the highest available at a very good price.”
“Generally, it is best to take one capsule with each meal (just like the Japanese or Chinese drinking green tea while eating their meal). One capsule possesses phytonutrients equal to about 2-3 green tea which is quite similar to what the amount that the Japanese drinks on average.”
“I take one a day, with my breakfast. I feel like it has made me eaten less, and change my appetite. I also have been noticing that I’m losing some weight. I read about how Green tea, and it’s extract, really help out the skin, and immunity.”
“I have been taking green tea for about a month and a half now and I have already noticed that I have lost weight. This has also suppressed my appetite as well. I take three pills a day, two in the morning and one in the evening. I will forever be taking egcg!!! It is absolutely amazing!”.
“I can honestly say these have given me more energy, draw back if you do not take with food they may make your stomach upset. I have lost 2 pounds in 2 weeks with no changes in diet etc.”
“Seems to increase metabolism and decrease late night carb cravings.”
“I bought EGCg because I read much about effect on weight. And it´s true! I lost 2 kg (4 pounds) in two weeks without changing my meal plan or exercise. I take one capsule after breakfast and sometimes I have to force myself to eat dinner, because I don´t feel hunger.”
“Bought for my mom. She’s losing weight like crazy. No side effects and added benefit of eye health and anti cancer properties make this a winner.”
“I was looking to lose about 12 pounds (at 5’8.5 go from 140 to 128) and have been stalled at this weight for what seems like FOREVER. I started with two tablets a day about a week and a half ago and I can tell I have more energy and that I don’t need to eat as much to be full. This product also seems to be helpful with water weight gain and bloating and I never feel dizzy or nauseous like I have on other appetite suppressants. I’ve been skipping my morning cup of coffee for these pills and have been fine, but I don’t know how you would be with coffee and 2 in the AM. After about 12 days with EGCG in the morning, lots of water consumption and slight change in eating habits (I already worked out 5x/week) I have lost 4 lbs! So excited to step on the scale and see 136 this morning”
“I just started exercising and instead of losing 2lbs a week, I’m losing 4.5lbs. At that’s by taking only 1 capsule a day.”
“I have been taking two capsules a day for about a month and have lost about 5 pounds with only minor adjustments to my diet. For the past 4 years I have not been able to lose weight without drastic diet and exercise so I am pretty sure the EGCg has made a difference for me”.
“I’ve dropped a few pounds, without changing much else in my routine!”
“This stuff definitely packs a wallop. my stomach doesn’t like it. As per directions, I only take it with food. I feel nauseated for hours afterward. Extremely annoying!! I think maybe they should offer it in 200 mg versions so people like me can take it more frequently but not subject ourselves to feeling sick or having to open up each capsule and take half etc. other than that, it definitely seems to have an impact. it does feel somewhat thermogenic – although its been difficult to focus on the positive effects when I feel like I’m halfway to yackville.”
“I took it for months for fat loss but in vain.It did nothing”.
“Definately increases my daily energy output. As it is non stimulating to the nervous system I have been taking 3 tablets spread out through the day and have already noticed weight reduction in only 3 weeks.”
“Be careful if you are taking blood thinners as it will interact with them. This is a very powerful supplement, actually, and one capsule is equivalent to 8 to 10 cups of tea, so don’t take more than one capsule per day as recommended. Also, do a search and read about interactions and side effects as there are a number of them, other than the blood thinner interaction.”
“I am very pleased with the actual EGCG quauntity (200 mg) listed in the product. This is very high for the price, i.e.”
“I consistently seem to maintain my weight while taking this supplement despite the massive quantities of food I intake. If I do stop eating as much (like a normal amount), I seem to always lose more weight.”
“Wonderful in having the ingredients needed to burn weight. I take them right before I sleep at night, with a LOT of water (important – you need to basically wash the fat out of your body, and without enough water it can’t go anywhere), and three high potency Omega 3 pills. That combination, Omega 3 and Green Tea is very powerful, and gives great results.”
“I take up to 3 pills a day with food and I’ve lost 3 pounds in 2 weeks. My diet has been more healthy, but nothing else has changed. I feel good, lots of energy. I will continue to take it!”
“I’ve been taking these with CLA capsules every day the past 4 weeks now. The result: I can eat more without gaining weight!! So happy.”
“I’ve been taking this for a year and now I have to change the lenses of my eyeglasses. The eye test result is 0.2 for the both eyes from worse than 0.1 for the last time. It doesn’t seem dramatic and I don’t feel the big difference because it’s improved little by little, but I see how well this product worked on my eyes with this result. More than 8 hour job with a computer, reading books or mags, watching TV in the dark, and nothing good for my eyes. I can’t think of anything else other than Polyphenols. Believe it or not, that’s what I experience. And it’s cheaper than 30 dollars a year. I’m pretty much satisfied.”
“I am using this supplement along with a healthy diet and exercise, but until I started this (and CLA), those last few stubborn pounds would not let go. Now I am 3 pounds lighter, and 1 away from my goal of 144 pounds! This after 3 weeks of use.”
“Seems to help digestion and prevents me from gaining weight even though I’m eating quite a bit. I’m taking 3/day, but could probably take 4.”
“I’m taking this because I have kidney disease. I’m taking it along with some other supplements so not sure how well it’s really working but so far my lab work has been great.”
“I take one every morning. It seems to help with energy and with my fat loss!”
“I am not sure if this has helped my husband is going though chemo and his white blood count gets low. I was told Green Tea would increase his white blood count. The doctor is giving him something to increase his white blood count too. So not sure which is working.”
JARROW Green Tea Extract
“I have been using these capsules for many months and feel it is helping my body to firm up. It happens slowly, but I have especially noticed that my tummy area, a major problem for women, is becoming firmer and less saggy.”
“I was very pleasantly surprised, when I opened NOW Green Tea Extract capsules – they have an excellent kick of bitter astringency which bodes extremely well for their efficacy as an antioxidant. In terms of bang-per-buck, I HIGHLY recommend these NOW Green Tea Extract capsules. Theyre incredible value for their level of potency. On the same basis, I also recommend Indian Amla powder (also known as Hog Plum. Its rich in tannins and very closely related to vitamin C). You can get this as part of Madre Labs premium Madre C (a very nice, if a little pricey, product – MLI-00205), or you can get it on it's own at asian food markets. Also excellent bang-for-the-buck is NOWs 250mg Grape Seed Mega Potency. Do be sure to get the right one (NOW-03274), as NOW vary their formulation with similar grape seed products; some including synthetic ascorbic acid. In my view, any of the above offer greater potency than Doctors Bests popular French Red Wine Extract, which is a nice product at a reasonable price but lacks the same amount of clout for a single capsule dose. To broaden your spectrum of protective substances, also consider Twinlab's good value Citrus Bioflavanoid Caps (TWL-00715), and Doctors Bests excellent value astaxanthin product (DRB-00261). Remember that, with the exception of the astaxanthin, all the above substances are -water-soluble- antioxidants. Astaxanthin is BOTH lipid-soluble and water-soluble. Vitamin E and Ubiquinol are lipid-soluble, only. Thus, they all compliment each other, in getting to differing parts of cells and tissues, and in molecularly 'recycling' one another within the body. One does not need to consume ALL the water-soluble and ALL the lipid-soluble antioxidants each day – the point is to vary them each day, so as to get a broader spectrum of protection, and of course ones diet should be the primary source of protective compounds (check out the nutrients in kale, for example). I do also use Healthy Origins Pycnogenol 100mg (HOG-41372), and its excellent, but if youre on a budget, then a combination of NOWs Green Tea Extract and their Mega Potency Grape Seed 250mg would cover your needs, ideally complimented by a dual-soluble or lipid-soluble antioxidant. Its worthwhile learning how various antioxidants recycle each other within the body, because this helps one maximise the effectiveness of the antioxidants they purchase and consume. For example, vitamin E is recycled by carotenoids, and carotenoids are recycled by vitamin C – when C then becomes exhausted, it is excreted via the kidneys. This also explains why C needs replenishing more frequently than other antioxidants.”
*****
Update: So I’ve been taking Now Foods ECGC for two weeks. Haven’t noticed any of the benefits other people and reviewers have stated. No increased energy, no decreased appetite, no weight loss. It was my birthday so I indulged a bit, but still, I think I would have noticed something. Instead I am up 10 pounds from where I’ve been stable over the last 2 years. Not blaming the EcGC – the weight gain happened shortly before I started, but its done nothing to help apparently. I personally would not buy the Now Foods brand again, since it did nothing for me, but may try one of the others. I would take it just for the antioxidant and antiaging benefits described below, I’m all for that – but my thinking is if it doesn’t give me the noticeable energy or weight loss benefit, then is it really doing any of those other things? Like I said, perhaps I will try again, with a different brand.
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