EGCG weight loss

EGCG - In the future you're going to see these initials quite often. EGCG is short for epigallocatechin gallate, a substance found in certain herbs, particularly in green tea. You undoubtedly have heard of the many benefits of green tea. Does EGCG cause weight loss?
 
Availablity of EGCG
You can obtain EGCG through drinking green tea or taking a green tea extract supplement which lists the amount of EGCG per capsule. On average, a cup of green tea will have roughly 100 mg of EGCG per 8 ounces. The amount of EGCG present in green tea varies with different brands of the product, the region the green tea is grown, amount of brewing time, and age of the green tea leaves. A cup of green tea may have as much as 20 mg of caffeine.
 
Benefit of EGCG for weight loss
There have been few human studies directly evaluating the green tea extract EGCG in weight loss by itself. Many of the EGCG weight loss studies have combined green tea with other supplements.

Benefit of EGCG in other conditions
In lab studies, EGCG has been found to be a potent anti-antioxidant and to have anti-cancer abilities. In animal studies, EGCG has been found to potentially be helpful in blood sugar control. In human studies, EGCG has been shown to be helpful in reducing infection from the HPV virus in the cervix and the risk for prostate cancer.
 
EGCG for Cancer
EGCG induces apoptosis in human cancer cell lines. Apoptosis means the death of a cell, and in the case of a cancer cell, apoptosis is a good thing. In test tubes, EGCG thwarts the growth of several cancer cells including breast, prostate, lungs, ovaries, and liver.

EGCG and Weight Loss
Research with EGCG and weigh loss in humans is still quite early, and at this time it appears that green tea and EGCG may help slightly with weight loss when used in high amounts, but long term benefit versus potential risk of high EGCG consumption has yet to be determined.
 
EGCG Summary
EGCG may have health benefit as a nutritional supplement for cancer, heart disease, certain viral infections, and neurodegenerative conditions, and perhaps weight loss. However, at this time we don’t know the long term safety of taking a high dose EGCG supplement by itself. It is clear from epidemiological studies that long term drinking of green tea is safe and healthy as demonstrated in studies with Japanese green tea drinkers.
 

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