by THE Oolong tea it is very popular in China for its degreasing properties. In fact, for the Chinese, it is the best “slimming” drink and not green tea! According to experts, it dissolves lipids in the arteries, detoxifies the body and activates the metabolism.
A new study published in the journal Nutrients reveals that a cup or two of tea can help you lose weight while you sleep… In particular, researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan point out that drinking oolong tea increases fat breakdown and continues to work even longer and when the person is resting.
Professor Kumpei Tokuyama reports that drinking two cups of oolong tea every day significantly stimulates fat burning processes in the body.
“Like all teas, oolong contains caffeine, which affects energy metabolism by increasing our heart rate. However, studies show that drinking tea may also increase fat breakdown, independent of the effects of caffeine.“, explains the lead author of the study.
“Therefore, we wanted to examine the effects of oolong consumption compared to caffeine alone on energy and fat metabolism in a group of healthy volunteers,” he adds.
What the Study Also Showed About Fat Reduction During Sleep
For this study, scientists tested a group of healthy volunteers who drank oolong tea or a placebo for two weeks. The results reveal that participants who drank oolong tea increased fat breakdown by 20% compared to the control group. The researchers note that the effects of oolong tea continued even after the participant fell asleep. Surprisingly, tea did not increase energy expenditure. The study authors say this shows the group developed a tolerance to the caffeine also present in the drink over the two weeks.
What is Oolong Tea?
Oolong is a “semi-fermented” tea – a category between black tea and green tea. Green tea leaves destined to become oolong must be processed and processed immediately after picking. First, the leaves are wilted in the sun and then they are shaken in bamboo baskets so that the edges of the leaves are not “hurt”. Then they are spread out and successively shaken to dry until the surface of the leaves acquires a yellowish color and the edges turn red.
Oolong extract is light brown to light orange. Its taste is reminiscent of ripe fruit, flowers and the “wet” forest.
A subcategory of oolong is Pu Erh. This pu erh considered soothing for indigestion and diarrhea, helps to reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides. Its taste is similar to that of overripe fruit. Pu Erh is particularly popular in Germany but also in other northern European countries.
Like other types of tea, oolong contains several useful vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. A cup of brewed tea also contains caffeine, about a third of the amount in a cup of coffee.
Drinking oolong tea has benefits for heart health, brain health, bone health, and dental health, and may help with weight management, although more research is needed in many of these areas.
Since caffeine generally affects sleep, and sleep loss can affect your metabolism, the study also looked at how well each person slept during the experiment.
Despite caffeine’s reputation for keeping people awake, the researchers found that there was no difference in the sleep patterns of the two groups. Therefore, researchers believe that a cup of oolong tea won’t keep you up all night and may help you burn off a few extra pounds.
“The stimulating effects of oolong tea on fat breakdown during sleep could have real clinical relevance for weight controlsays Professor Tokuyama.
However, he adds, “we need to determine whether the effects we observed in the 2-week study translate into actual body fat loss over an extended period of time.”
“Additionally, we want to try a decaffeinated oolong tea to better distinguish the effects of caffeine from other tea components, which will help us understand exactly how oolong helps break down fat.“, ended.
