Green tea inhibits weight gain: study

There has never been a better time to go green, according to a team of US food scientists who say that green tea may slow weight gain and has the potential to play an integral role in the battle against obesity.

Publishing their findings in online journal Obesity, researchers from Pennsylvania State University found that a control group of obese mice who were fed Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) - a compound found in most green teas - in addition to a high-fat diet gained weight 44 per cent slower than their counterparts who were fed the same diet without the compound.

"Our work suggests that EGCG inhibits an enzyme called pancreatic lipase (PL), which is secreted into the intestine when you eat and is the most important enzyme for the digestion of dietary fat," explains study author Joshua Lambert, assistant professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University. "EGCG, in the test tube, inhibits this enzyme at relatively low concentrations. Definitely concentrations that are achieved in the intestine when you drink a cup or two of tea."

REFERENCE -www.smh.com.au