Drinking tea is a pastime – but it could also be the key to weight loss.
A new study has revealed that drinking english breakfast tea can promote weight loss and speed up your metabolism.
Research published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that black tea can stimulate the production of good bacteria in the stomach. This can speed up the energy metabolism in the liver via gut metabolites.
Scientists from the University of California conducted their experiment on mice and found both black and green tea were the best for weight loss.
This is because both can lower the amount of gut bacteria typically associated with obesity while increasing the type of bacteria that can make you lean.
The researchers deducted this by dividing the mice into four groups and putting them on four separate diets.
Weight loss was measured over a month and the mice who were given the black and green tea extract lost the same amount of weight.
In the past, green tea has been lauded as the answer to weight loss as it contains natural fat busters that can speed up your metabolism.
Green tea can also help you burn 3% to 4% more calories while you are resting – and black tea could actually have the same benefits.
Furthermore, black tea also showed an increase in Pseudobutyrivibrio – a bacterium that specifically targets the metabolism.
Researchers added that they discovered the benefits of polyphenols – compounds that can stimulate the production of fatty acids in the gut – in black tea.
These compounds have previously been found to boost your metabolic rate.
Lead author, Susanne Henning explained: “It was known that green tea polyphenols are more effective and offer more health benefits than black tea polyphenols since green tea chemicals are absorbed into the blood and tissue.
“Our new findings suggest that black tea, through a specific mechanism through the gut micro-biome, may also contribute to good health and weight loss in humans.
“For black tea lovers, there may be a new reason to keep drinking it.”
Meanwhile, tomato juice has also been proven to help slash belly fat.
According to a study published in the journal Nutrition, having a glass of tomot juice every day can cause your waistline to shrink – without you making any other lifestyle changes.
