Outcome
    Limited

    Green Tea Extract (EGCG) for White Fat Browning

    Green tea catechins induce browning markers in rodents with no human fat loss translation.

    Overview

    Green tea catechins induce browning markers in rodents with no human fat loss translation.

    Verdict

    Insufficient evidence

    How It Works

    EGCG upregulates UCP1 expression in rodent adipose tissue.

    Dosing & Protocol

    Typical dose

    Recommended dose
    300-500mg EGCG daily with food
    Expected timeframe
    12 weeks

    Protocol

    form
    Not applicable
    duration
    Not applicable
    co factor
    Evidence is insufficient. In rodents, green tea catechins increase expression of UCP1 and other beige-fat markers in white adipose tissue, apparently through sustained beta-adrenergic signalling following COMT inhibition - the browning phenomenon. No human study has demonstrated browning of white adipose tissue after green tea extract: doing so requires adipose tissue biopsy with UCP1 measurement, which no green tea trial has performed. The few human studies touching brown fat used imaging of existing depots rather than browning of white fat. Browning in humans is reliably induced only by cold exposure and, in pathological form, by catecholamine-secreting tumours.
    titration
    Not applicable
    starting dose
    Not applicable

    Evidence

    What the studies say

    Rodent studies show clear browning at doses far above human intake. Human trials measure only small changes in energy expenditure, not browning-driven fat loss.

    Effects of green tea catechins with or without caffeine on energy expenditure and fat oxidation: a meta-analysis

    Score: 8/10
    2011
    meta_analysis

    Hursel R, Viechtbauer W, Dulloo AG +3 more

    Catechin-caffeine mixtures raised 24-hour energy expenditure by roughly 4-5%

    View source

    Safety

    Caveats

    Rodent-to-human translation has failed. Liver injury risk at high doses.

    Less likely to help if

    Everyone: no human browning data exist.

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