Why Weight

Fat Loss Herbs Part 1 - Green Tea

By Jason Conley

You can't read anything about green tea these days without quickly encountering the terms "free radicals" and "antioxidant," but what do these terms mean? Why are free radicals so evil (or are they?) What, exactly, is an antioxidant anti-ing, and how does all this relate to health and fat loss?

You already know oxygen is required for life. One reason is that oxygen reacts with food to create energy, more specifically metabolic energy. How well this process works helps determine your metabolism. This reaction with oxygen is called oxidation. One result of this oxidation is the creation of free radicals.

Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms (molecules) with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons. Because of the unpaired electrons, free radicals are highly reactive and will steal an electron from other atoms causing further oxidation. When important molecules in the body, such as those that form artery walls, become oxidized they become unstable and break easily.

Free radicals also react with important cellular components such as DNA, or the cell membrane.

When DNA is damaged the cell can mutate. It is believed that this is a primary cause of diseases like cancer. Free radicals are also necessary for life. The body's ability to turn air and food into chemical energy depends on a chain reaction of free radicals. Free radicals are also a crucial part of the immune system. The danger is primarily when there are more free radicals than the body can handle. To prevent free radical damage the body has a defense system of antioxidants.

Antioxidants are molecules which can safely interact with free radicals and stop the chain reaction before vital molecules are damaged. Antioxidants easily react with free radicals (the oxidant part of anti-oxidant) and prevent them from damaging other cells. Some popular well known antioxidants are vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant found in green tea, may be up to 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E at protecting cells and DNA from damage caused by free radials.

So what does this have to do with fat loss? Green tea is a source of powerful antioxidants known as Flavonoids. Flavonoids, along with the caffeine found in Green Tea, help metabolize fat stores in the body. Clinical trials conducted by the University of Geneva, indicate that green tea may also raise metabolic rates and speed up fat oxidation.

Free radicals are a normal part of life and should not be viewed as something to destroy completly. Antioxidants help regulate the amount of free radicals in the body and control the damage they can cause. Green tea should not be considered a miracle fat loss product. There is strong evidence that in addition to its antioxidant benefits it may also help reduce fat, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. A healthy lifestyle includes a healthy diet and regular exercise.

For more information and tips on rapid fat loss using methods you have never tried before, visit http://fat-loss-eating.com Jason Conley struggled with weight loss on and off for years. While in the military he often needed to drop a few pounds before a PT test and weigh-in. He now tries to help others who would like to lose weight quickly and keep it off for life.

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posted by Cheryl Levesque @ 9:28 AM