Many of those who wish to live a healthier lifestyle find themselves choosing between green tea vs black tea for weight loss.
Both come from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis.
However, black tea goes through the process of oxidization, which changes its appearance and enhances its flavor.
On the contrary, processing green tea helps explicitly prevent oxidization, providing you with a lighter color and a more subtle flavor.
Different Tea Variants
Tea comes in different variations but whatever type you choose, know that they all come from one plant—the Camellia Sinensis.
How the leaves are processed gives them their distinct variations.
Green Tea
Green tea is the most popular variety when it comes to weight loss.
It doesn’t require fermentation, as you’ll only need to crush the leaves manually before consumption.
It offers a high percentage of catechin EGCG, helping your body lose weight as low as three pounds in three months.
You must consume at least seven cups of this beverage in a day to allow its antioxidant properties to help flush toxins out of your body.
With the caffeine and flavonoid contents, it helps increase your metabolic rate and improve insulin activity.
Then again, make sure you drink this in moderation. Green tea extracts are more potent and may cause liver damage when over-consumed.
Black Tea
This variety is common in Chinese restaurants and is often used when making iced tea drinks.
Its rich and intense flavor makes it popular among weight-conscious individuals because of its ability to change how the gut absorbs the fat.
Drinking plain black tea for weight loss is more effective than adding flavor enhancers like honey, milk, or sugar.
White Tea
The white tea variety goes through minor processing, giving it a lighter and sweeter taste on the palate.
Its effectiveness in losing weight can help break down fat stored in the body and block new fat cell formation.
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea comes from tea leaves that are dried manually by laying them out under the sun.
It is also high in catechins, similar to black and green tea.
As such, you can rely on oolong tea to help you get rid of excess fat and prevent even more weight gain.
Chinese Black Tea Helps Fat Loss
These tea leaves turn black when oxidized, hence its name. You need this oxidization process to create flavonoids.
Every time you brew the leaves, the color changes from black to reddish, which is where red tea comes from.
The Chinese black tea has a different fermentation process compared to the one used in America.
These microorganism-fermented leaves still go through an extended aging process, providing them with different flavonoids and flavors.
Some say that the extract from Chinese black tea offers better results in getting rid of abdomen fat, buttocks, and thighs.
Why Drink Green or Black Tea?
Tea has been around for thousands of years, and, no, this is not an exaggeration.
Aside from its long history, it is also among the most popular drinks in many countries worldwide.
Why is tea such a beloved drink?
Depending on the variety, you will find that regularly drinking tea has tons of health benefits. Here are some of the most known:
Protects Your Heart
Teas have an abundance of protective antioxidants called flavonoids, believed in caring for the heart.
They prevent plaque formation in the blood vessel, lower blood pressure, and reduce bad cholesterol and triglycerides.
Studies indicate that drinking one to three cups of green tea a day lowers stroke and heart attack risk.
Also, you can reduce any risk of heart disease by consuming the same amount of black tea daily.
Boosts Brain Function
Caffeine is a popular stimulant found in both varieties but lesser in green tea for the same serving.
It blocks the inhibitory neurotransmitter adenosine to get your nervous system started.
Plus, it also helps release mood-enhancers like dopamine and serotonin.
For this reason, caffeine improves alertness, mood, reaction time, short-term recall, and vigilance.
In addition to caffeine, you will also find L-theanine in green and black teas.
It’s an amino acid that balances the caffeine’s effect on the brain, resulting in a relaxed but alert state.
Green Tea vs Black Tea For Weight Loss
Black tea is one of the best-loved drinks in the country, with almost 80 percent consumed by Americans.
However, its health benefits, especially where weight loss is concerned, are often dimmed by what the green tea variety offers.
In reality, green and black tea contain polyphenols responsible for losing weight but may work differently for each tea type.
These antioxidants protect cellular structures from getting damaged by free radicals like cell membranes and DNA.
Let’s take a closer look at each one to help give you a better idea of what they can offer.
What Are the Benefits of Drinking Green Tea?
Green tea comes from the least processed unoxidized leaves of Camellia Sinensis.
It offers the most beneficial polyphenols and antioxidants compared to other tea types.
This drink is popular in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine.
They use it to heal wounds, control bleeding, help digestion, regulate temperature, and enhance heart and mental health.
Others claim its positive effects on weight loss, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disorder, and other health issues.
Here are more health benefits you can derive from green tea.
Cancer Prevention
Some green tea-loving countries have shown lower cancer rates, though there is no concrete evidence that the ratio was due to their love of the drink.
On the other hand, applying green tea polyphenol extracts on one’s skin helps protect it from UVB radiation.
In turn, you will have a lower risk of developing skin cancer.
Heart Health
A Japanese study in 2006 found that those who drink a minimum of five cups of green tea a day showed a lower cardiovascular mortality risk.
Other claims are that polyphenols found in green tea can lower blood pressure, improve epithelial function, and decrease inflammation.
Inflammatory Skin Conditions
Green tea’s primary component, epigallocatechin-3-gallate or EGCG, has undeniable anti-inflammatory properties.
A recent study on cosmetics with tea extract supports the claim that green tea has anti-inflammatory effects when applied topically.
Lower Cholesterol
Consuming green tea relates to a significant decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, whether as a drink or a supplement.
Stroke Risk
Some people believe that there is a lesser risk of stroke when they include green tea in their regular diet.
Type 2 Diabetes
Even if there are some inconsistencies in the effects of green tea on type 2 diabetes, many believe that it helps lower their risks.
Working Memory
Green tea is also known to improve a person’s cognitive functions and working memory.
It is even deemed likely to help address cognitive impairments, like dementia.
Weight Loss
Green tea has catechins and caffeine that help increase energy metabolism, resulting in noticeable weight loss.
Catechin helps break down excess fat, and combining it with caffeine increases the energy your body utilizes.
However, you will also want to take extra caution when drinking green tea, as it can cause diarrhea and other stomach problems.
You might also suffer from an iron deficiency if you consume too much of this beverage.
What Can You Get From Drinking Black Tea?
Similar to green tea, black tea contains caffeine but with the addition of flavonoids.
These metabolites found in this drink can help you lose weight.
As the most oxidized tea variety, black tea is famous for its intense flavor and health benefits.
If taken moderately, it can increase one’s energy levels and improve heart health and immunity.
It can also control the cholesterol level and regulate a person’s weight.
Here are other health and weight loss benefits found in black tea.
Gut Bacteria Changes
Through the help of a mechanism via the gut microbiome, black tea helps promote good health and boost weight loss.
It also reduces gut bacteria related to obesity while increasing the same microorganism linked to lean body mass.
Lowers Triglyceride Levels
Flavonoids are responsible for lowering triglyceride levels and visceral fats, preventing inflammation-induced obesity.
Low-Calorie Drink
When consumed plain, black tea contains approximately two calories per cup and does not have saturated fat and cholesterol.
You will have less calorie intake if you replace your favorite sugary drinks with plain black tea.
Similar to drinking water before meals, you can also consume black tea to get the same result.
However, keep in mind that it has more caffeine than most tea variants, so intake moderation is recommended to prevent dehydration.
Also, tannins, which provide the drink’s strong flavor, can cause nausea and vomiting when consumed in excess.
Boosts Metabolism
Caffeine found in black tea increases metabolism and keeps off the weight longer.
It also encourages the body to break down the stored fat while stimulating cells that can absorb fats.
To be on the safe side, make sure you consume only 400 milligrams of caffeine a day max, which will be around five to 10 cups daily.
Which Is Better For Weight Loss?
Understanding the effectiveness of green tea vs black tea for weight loss allows you to choose between the two.
Although green tea has more potent antioxidant properties, black tea can give you a stronger caffeine boost.
Both green and black tea variants offer the same health benefits, making them the perfect addition to your daily meal.
