Green tea is far more than a simple drink. Green tea has been used for thousands of years as both a simple beverage and a more substantial offering, used as a medicinal tea and a source of community and commerce. Green tea is an antioxidant-rich tea that contains catechins, which have been linked to positive health outcomes. Green tea catechins are considered antioxidants, and are also potentially antimicrobial. Green tea comes from the same plant as black and white tea, but the leaves are processed differently, leading to different flavor profiles, notes, and benefits. According to studies with a level of heterogeneity to support their accuracy, taking a daily dose of green tea's primary outcomes are increased health, improved cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological health, and protection against different ailments and illnesses.
Types of Green Tea for Weight Loss
Using green tea for weight loss is certainly nothing new, but because there is more than one type of tea and more than one mode of delivery, it is important to understand the different types of tea for weight loss, what a daily dose looks like, and how they might eventually affect your body weight. Different types differ in important ways, including taste, quality, texture, and even aroma. The most common types of green tea extracts and green tea preparations on weight loss specifically engineered for health include:
Matcha Green Tea Powder
Matcha green tea powder is one of the best green tea products for weight loss, because it utilizes the whole of the green tea leaves, rather than simply steeping the leaves and throwing them away. While the green tea many people are familiar with comes in bags or in loose leaf form, matcha green tea comes in a powder, made up of crushed or powdered green tea leaves.
This catechin beverage is so valuable because it is rich in EGCG, or epigallocatechin gallate. This compound is a unique component found in plants with links to improved metabolic rate, decreased blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improved cardiovascular and neurological health--as well as an ideal weight loss outcome. Consequently, matcha and green tea extracts and green tea products containing high levels of EGCG are often considered ideal to reach weight loss goals, support fat oxidation, improve energy levels, and increase general health.
The taste of matcha is often considered one of its best attributes: unlike many of its green tea counterparts, matcha has a mellow, floral taste that blends bitterness and sweetness. It is often consumed hot or cold, cut with milk, and can be used to replace morning coffee without sacrificing the smooth, creamy texture so often found in coffee and lattes.
Sencha Green Tea
Sencha green tea is a type of green tea leaf, and is delivered in standard form: typically through loose leaf or bagged tea. It is likely what is being consumed when most people go out and purchase green tea products. The levels of caffeine in sencha green tea are slightly less than a cup of coffee, but not so significantly different that the caffeine content is low or negligible.
Sencha green tea is rich in vitamin C, and its taste quality does depend somewhat on the efficacy involved in brewing; if tea is made with water that is too hot or not properly filtered, it can bring out notes of bitterness or high notes of astringency. Sencha can be brewed hot, or can be cold steeped for iced green tea.
The taste of sencha is quite mild, especially when compared to other types of green tea like matcha, with some sweetness and mild astringent notes.
Shincha
Shincha is a type of sencha green tea and is considered a premium tea. Although the caffeine content is basically the same and the components of the tea are similar to standard sencha, Shincha green tea is made up of the first harvest of sencha leaves, creating a lighter, less bitter tea. Shincha is also higher in amino acids, which some consider beneficial for general health and a complementary means of maintaining health while on a weight loss journey.
Because shincha is made only from the first (and therefore finest) leaves, the harvest period for Shincha is typically between April and May, limiting the amount that is produced, and making the price of shincha higher than the price of other types of green tea. Because it is made from the freshest and finest leaves, however, it has been argued that shincha maintains more of its beneficial compounds, like amino acids.
Bancha
Bancha tea is the second most common type of green tea (following sencha green tea), and is another green tea easily and inexpensively found lining grocery store aisles. Bancha is made up of the later harvest, and does not have as many active compounds as, say, shincha or matcha, but still can be included as part of a healthy diet. Bancha is also different from many of its green tea counterparts because it contains numerous trace minerals and fluoride. Consequently, while it may not be linked to fat oxidation or a weight loss journey, bancha has been suggested as a valuable resources for people fighting inflammation, including inflammation in the mouth.
Bancha has a grassy, bitter flavor, and may not have as strong a fragrance as some more potent varieties of green tea.
Genmaicha
Genmaicha is a green tea infusion, most often delivered in loose-leaf tea form. Although it is not usually used for fat breakdown, it does boast some health benefits due to the presence of roasted brown rice in the tea. Genmaicha is made by combining bancha green tea and roasted brown rice, resulting in an earthy, nutty flavor boasting all of the benefits of green tea--reduced inflammation, aiding against free radical damage as a result of green tea catechins, and providing protection against heart disease--alongside the beneficial components found in brown rice, such as some amino acids and beneficial compounds.
Biluochun
Biluochun green tea is a type of green tea that is named for its appearance. Rather than straw or leaf-like loose-leaf tea preparations, biluochun is made up of tightly-coiled green leaves with small, fuzzy white "hairs." Because the leaves in biluochun are harvested early in the season, the flavor of biluochun is light and fruity, with a delicate appearance and floral aroma. Biluochun is a tea often consumed by the more discerning tea drinker, as it is a more expensive option, and is more difficult to get a hold of than typical green tea products.
Hōjicha
Hōjicha is a type of Japanese tea that has been roasted versus being steamed or batch baked, and is typically made up of either bancha or sencha leaves. This particular type of tea's descriptive analysis is extremely unique, in that it has a completely different color and even a different inclusion of compounds. Because of this, Hōjicha has not been identified as a strong contender to play a role in weight loss, as human studies have focused primarily on more traditional types of green tea. Using Hōjicha tea in weight loss will likely not result in the same substantial changes that adding sencha, bancha, or matcha green tea to a balanced diet will.
Part of the reason that this roasted green tea is not a likely source of burning a great deal of body fat is the high-heat roasting process; because the leaves are roasted at elevated heat levels, it does not possess the same catechins and beneficial components that most green tea products do. Nevertheless, Hōjicha has a light, nutty, and fruity flavor profile.
Longjing
Longjing tea is a pan-roasted green tea that has longer leaves than most common types of green tea, and is named for the location of its origin: Longjing, Hanzhou. Because Longjing tea is primarily roasted by hand, it is considered a premium form of green tea, and is not as readily available as other types of tea, though some lower-quality forms of the tea are available. Longjing also offers plenty of milligrams of caffeine and can be included in preparations for weight loss, but is not usually targeted as a way to kickstart a loss in weight; instead, it is valued for its high value and more delicate flavor.
Benefits of Green Tea
The main component of green tea that can help result in a loss in weight is catechins. Green tea catechins are a type of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antifungal component with links to playing a role in weight loss, protecting against cancer and inflammatory illnesses, and even aiding in oral health according to Japanese studies and studies conducted elsewhere in the world, where green tea may not be as prevalent. Individual catechins have been tied to different outcomes, but the combination of catechins and caffeine in intervention efforts to support health can significantly impact all areas of the body at a considerable level, reducing the risk of thyroid cancer and other cancers, and reducing the risk of inflammation.
Although a loss in weight is not typically attributed to green tea catechins specifically, and is thought to involve all of the components found in green tea, including the milligrams of caffeine found in all green tea types, green tea's beneficial components' anti-aging properties, anti-inflammatory properties, and antioxidant properties can all help support a healthy lifestyle and an active lifestyle, two factors that often play a substantial role in successful preparations for weight loss and a reduction in BMI ranging from slight change to more intense decreases.
Drinking anywhere from 3-6 cups per day--including the powder form of green tea, matcha--was linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's Disease, and even certain cancers-- in high level of heterogeneity studies evaluating the effects of green tea. Whether you prefer the powder form of green tea products for your daily dose, loose-leaf tea, or tea bags, including natural products like green tea can significantly aid in developing a consistently healthy lifestyle with primary outcomes like weight loss and metabolic support in Japanese studies and studies around the world.
The 11 Best Green Teas for Weight Loss in 2023
Including a daily dose of green tea in weight loss efforts can help reduce waist circumference, while aiding in the support of general health and wellness, including metabolic support. Controlled trials have determined that primary outcomes of green tea beverage consumption delivered a supplementary kickstart to a reduction in BMI ranging from mild to substantial, and that the antioxidant content in green tea is uniquely equipped to aid in weight loss, especially when placed alongside green tea's caffeine content. The 11 best green tea beverages for weight loss have been identified below.
Fine USA Green Tea & Coffee
The Fine USA brand of green tea and coffee is unique and boasts a potentially more powerful weight loss outcome because it includes a daily dose of both green tea and coffee, with the beneficial compounds of each and plenty of milligrams of caffeine to support metabolic health. Without requiring a special diet or resulting in elevated blood pressure, Fine USA's catechin beverage may boast one of the largest impacts on weight loss outcome while supporting general health and working to prevent cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions.
Yogi Tea - Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life
This particular diet tea combines green tea with several other extracts that have been anecdotally and empirically related to weight loss, such as garcinia cambogia, although the tea itself has not been implicated in a study evaluating reductions in weight or waist circumference with a clear assessment of risk. The tea aims to increase energy over the long term, with a focus on increasing stamina with garcinia cambogia and a hefty dose of catechins in the daily dose of tea (suggested 2-4 cups per day).
Bigelow Matcha Green Tea with Tumeric
The Bigelow brand is often seen on grocery store shelves, and this particular tea is considered a natural product for weight maintenance because it includes turmeric, a natural support for healthy living and reduced levels of inflammation, which can help preparations on weight loss, as inflammation spurs a decline in normal, healthy functioning.
Ito En Traditional Matcha Green Tea
This green tea does not claim to cause a reduction to waist circumference or claim to be a substantial tea in weight loss programs, but combines the full-leaf nature of matcha with the brewed nature of sencha tea. This allows users to receive the benefits of both a daily dose of sencha brewed tea and matcha powder, which may or may not include encouraging or maintaining healthy weight.
Get Lost Stackable Teas by The Republic of Tea
This tea set does claim to be a useful tea in weight loss, with a combined series of tins titled "Get Lean," "Get Burning," and "Get Lost," corresponding to different processes of reducing weight circumference. This has not been a well-studied tea in weight loss research, and only 1 of the three tins contains green tea. As a tea in weight loss programs, it focuses primarily on concepts linked to traditional medicines, including ingredients like dandelion root extract in each daily dose, which may carry an unclear risk, not having undergone a systematic review by any sort of scientific agency like the Cochrane database.
Vahdam Organic Himalayan Pure And Natural Green Tea
Vahdam green tea has all of the green tea catechins associated with green tea benefits, and can help reduce your waist circumference, as much as any other green tea options. Vahdam's benefits are often seen in response to the "organic" label, as some are concerned about pesticides and herbicides being found in their daily dose of green tea.
Rapid Fire Slim Tea Herbal Teatox
The Rapid Fire Slim Tea Herbal Teatox system offers green tea weight loss solutions in conjunction with herbs often considered useful for a reduction in waist circumference, including spearmint. Although a daily dose of the tea itself has not been evaluated in research studies, it contains green tea and matcha, both of which have been independently evaluated for their health benefits.
ShapeGate Skinny Detox Tea
Like most detox teas, this particular tea aims to gain customer or patient satisfaction by providing a decrease in inflammation via green tea catechins, mint, and ginseng. Like other teas, there have been no long-term studies, Japanese studies or otherwise, to confirm the validity of a daily dose of detox or skinny teas, but green tea, ginseng, and mint can be used as a support for weight management and loss.
SkinnyBoost 28-Day Detox Tea Kit
SkinnyBoost is a product that claims to offer patient satisfaction in only 28 days (or more). Using green tea extracts, coffee extracts, and garcinia cambogia, SkinnyBoost is said to provide weight loss of 3-5 pounds in a single round, presumably by reducing water weight. 3-5 pounds seems to be the most likely amount of weight loss to expect with a full completion rate, according to review authors.
Uncle Lee's Organic Green Tea
Uncle Lee's organic green tea is another product offering simple green tea catechins in an organic tea bag that is easy to use and easy to find in grocery stores. With a standard daily dose of 3-6 cups, the green tea catechins in Uncle Lee's offer the same primary outcomes as more tailored formulas.
Hyleys Detox Tea for Cleanse and Weight Loss
Another 28-day detox tea kit, Hyleys was not formulated in response to large-scale weight maintenance studies, but instead utilizes preparations on weight loss with anecdotal evidence or links to general health, which may have an impact on bias toward seeing results. Hyleys, like so many others, uses garcinia cambogia in its formula to accompany a daily dose of green tea catechins. The price at time of publication is on par with other detox teas, but can be prohibitive.
Conclusion
Although there have been plenty of trendy items said to miraculously burn fat and contribute to weight loss--think the garcinia cambogia craze, or meal replacement shakes--green tea catechins have consistently been linked to improvements in health and wellness, including maintaining a healthy weight and waist circumference, many of those studies completed with a risk of bias summary, subgroup analysis, and level of heterogeneity that indicates the validity of the study design and ultimate outcome.
The level of heterogeneity and risk of bias summary cannot tell the whole story, however; green tea catechins have consistently been linked to increased health, ranging from cardiovascular health to neurological health, and these benefits extend to maintaining healthy weight and waist circumference. With milligrams of caffeine on par with or similar to the amounts found in coffee, green tea can offer support for weight loss and boast patient satisfaction and health without gimmicks.
