Oolong Tea for Treat The Weight Loss

There is so much interest in weight loss and oolong tea (a.k.a. wulong tea) that we are going to look at research supporting the connection.

Let's start at the beginning

All tea comes from one plant Camellia Sinensis if it doesn't come from that plant it is not tea (herbs come from a variety of plants). Over time, the plant has protected itself from photosynthetic stressors by forming chemical compounds known as polyphenols. Polyphenols, which include flavonoids, have the same beneficial class of compounds, antioxidants, that make fruits and vegetables good for you.

The difference in green tea and oolong tea is processing. All tea is green when picked. Green tea is heated in order to halt the natural enzymatic reaction (oxidation) of the leaf. Once dried, green tea leaves are then rolled intentionally breaking the cell structure. Oolong tea leaves are plucked, kept under carefully controlled conditions and allowed to oxidize. These leaves are not intentionally broken, leaving most of the cell structure intact. These processing differences make each category of tea beneficially different even though they come from the same plant.

The Weight Loss Connection

The two main ways to reduce food related body weight are; increase energy expenditure (EE) and inhibit the absorption of nutrients, including fat and carbohydrates. Caffeine is a stimulant so it is widely accepted that the caffeine in tea increases metabolism, hence increasing EE. So the question becomes, is it only the caffeine or are other compounds in the tea contributing to that increase?

Let's Face It

- Oolong tea is not a quick fix despite the recent advertising claims by slick marketing "professionals."

-Oolong tea does not have to be expensive to be effective. $39.95 is too much to pay for a 30 day supply of low quality oolong. Remember to get what you pay for.

- These studies do not indicate that oolongs grown in a specific area are better fat burners than other oolongs. It's the processing that counts.

- Losing 20 lbs in 30 days by adding two cups of oolong tea to your daily routine is nothing more than hype. If this were true, I'd be a size 2.

- If you were dieting, drinking oolong and exercising it would be hard to achieve that much weight loss in 30 days.

- If it sounds too good to be true, then it is to good to be true!

Oolong - The Facts

- Oolong teas taste great and are delicious hot or cold.

- There is a tremendous variety of affordable oolong tea.

- Enjoy a cup of oolong 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to your walk, workout or yoga session and reap the rewards!

- Drink oolong in the afternoon to stave off late day sweet cravings and energy slumps.

- All of these aid in healthy weight loss and maintenance