In a new study, researchers found green tea may help cut obesity and reduce inflammation linked to poor health conditions.
The research was conducted by researchers from The Ohio State University.
Green tea has a rich history in Asian countries. It has been increasingly popular in the West due to its health benefits.
For example, one compound called Catechins in green tea is anti-inflammatory and has been linked to lower risk of heart and liver disease.
Previous studies have shown that unhealthy gut bacteria were linked to obesity and that green tea could help promote healthy bacteria in the gut.
In the current study, the team examined whether green tea can help prevent obesity, inflammation, and other factors linked to poor metabolic health.
They examined green tea’s effects in mice fed with a normal diet and a high-fat diet that could cause obesity.
They found the mice fed with a high-fat diet supplemented with 2% green tea extract burnt far better than those that ate a diet without it.
The mice fed green tea gained about 20% less weight and had lower insulin resistance than other mice.
The mice also had less inflammation within fat tissue and the intestine.
The researchers explain that the health benefits are from improved gut health.
This includes more beneficial microbes in the intestines and less permeability in the intestinal wall, or leaky gut.
The findings suggest that green tea could encourage the growth of good gut bacteria. It may have health benefits in reducing obesity and diabetes.
The researchers suggest that drinking green tea a little throughout the course of a day with food may be beneficial.
Future research will test green tea’s potential benefits in people at higher risks of diabetes and heart disease.
The lead author of the study is Richard Bruno, a professor of human nutrition at The Ohio State University.
The study is published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
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