Oolong tea health benefit, antioxidant, weight loss

Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea (Camellia sinensis) somewhere between green and black in oxidation. It ranges from 10% to 70% oxidation. It is among the most popular types of teas served in typical Chinese restaurants. Oolong has a taste more similar to green tea than to black tea: it lacks the rosy, sweet aroma of black tea but it likewise does not have the grassy vegetal notes that typify green tea. It is commonly brewed to be strong, with the bitterness leaving a sweet aftertaste.

Lower risk for heart disease
Coffee, green tea, black tea and oolong tea consumption and risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease in Japanese men and women.
J Epidemiol Community Health. 2009.
The effects of coffee and green, black and oolong teas and caffeine intake on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality have not been well defined in Asian countries. To examine the relationship between consumption of these beverages and risk of mortality from CVD, we prospectively followed 76,979 individuals aged 40-79 y free of stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), and cancer at entry. Consumption of coffee, green tea and oolong tea and total caffeine intake was associated with a reduced risk of mortality from CVD.

Weight loss benefit
Beneficial effects of oolong tea consumption on diet-induced overweight and obese subjects.
Chin J Integr Med. 2009; He RR, Chen L, Lin BH, Matsui Y, Yao XS, Kurihara H. School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medicine, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China.
To determine the anti-obesity effects of oolong tea on diet-induced overweight or obesity. A total of 8 g of oolong tea a day for 6 weeks was ingested by 102 diet-induced overweight or obese subjects. The body fat level of the subjects was determined at the same time by taking body weight, height and waist measurements. The thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer was also determined on the abdomen 3 cm to the right of the navel by the ultrasonic echo method. On the other hand, effects of oolong tea ingestion on plasma triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) were determined. Inhibitions of pancreatic lipase by oolong tea extract and catechins in vitro were also determined. A total of 70% of the severely obese subjects did show a decrease of more than 1 kg in body weight, including 22% who lost more than 3 kg. Similarly, 64% of the obese subjects and 66% of the overweight subjects lost more than 1 kg during the experiment, and the subcutaneous fat content decreased in 12% of the subjects. The correlation between weight loss and subcutaneous fat decrease in men was obviously lower than that in women. Body weight loss was significantly related to the decrease of the waist size in men and women. Also, the correlation between subcutaneous fat reduction and decreased waist size was significant in women, but not in men. Moreover, the plasma levels of TG and TC of the subjects with hyperlipidemia were remarkably decreased after ingesting oolong tea for 6 weeks. In vitro assays for the inhibition of pancreatic lipase by oolong tea extract and catechins suggest that the mechanism for oolong tea to prevent hyperlipidemia may be related to the regulative action of oolong tea catechins in lipoprotein activity. Oolong tea could decrease body fat content and reduce body weight through improving lipid metabolism. Chronic consumption of oolong tea may prevent against obesity.