From lemon water to apple-cider vinegar shots, there is an endless number of trendy drinks that TikTok and Instagram influencers claim will help you lose weight fast. Not to mention the large market for "weight-loss teas." Unfortunately, when it comes to losing weight, there isn't a single food or beverage that works like magic. The smartest approach to weight loss is multifactorial—including lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein on your plate, exercising regularly and adopting healthy sleep habits.
If eating healthier and losing weight is one of your goals, maximizing your calories by choosing nutrient-dense foods is a great place to start. Sugary beverages are high in calories but offer little to no additional nutritional value, unlike nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Plus, sugary drinks also do not provide the same feeling of fullness as solid foods. And most people don't compensate for those liquid calories by eating less food, per this 2023 review from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
So, what should you be sipping on if weight loss is your goal? Read on to find out our No. 1 drink choice for weight loss.
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How Drinking Tea May Help with Weight Loss
There is a lot of focus on how to fill up your plate when trying to lose weight or improve your health. However, choosing suitable beverages to stay hydrated can help you reach your weight-loss goals. Here's why we recommend reaching for tea more often.
Tea is the second most widely consumed beverage in the world after water. There are two main categories of tea: true teas and herbal teas. True teas, which include green, oolong, black and white teas, are all made from the leaves of the same plant, the Camellia sinensis plant, while herbal teas are made from the spices, flours and leaves of edible, non-tea plants.
Swapping higher-calorie beverages like a sweetened coffee drink for a lower-calorie unsweetened tea can effectively reduce your total calorie intake. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, Americans consume an average of 145 calories from sugar-sweetened beverages daily, so choosing a drink with much less sugar can make a big difference over time.
True teas all contain some level of catechins, a naturally occurring polyphenol linked to increased metabolism and stimulating the body to break down fat for energy, per a 2020 review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Green tea—especially matcha-grade green tea—contains the highest levels of catechins.
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The Best Drink for Weight Loss
When choosing a better beverage, our No. 1 drink pick for weight loss is green tea. Although all teas offer potential health benefits, here is why green tea wins out.
Helps You Cut Back on Sugar
Research supports the negative health effects of regularly consuming too many sugar-sweetened beverages, per a 2019 study in Circulation. Swapping out a sugar-sweetened beverage for something like unsweetened green tea is a great strategy for reducing your overall added sugar intake. In addition to being a sugar-free option, drinking two to three cups of green tea per day may offer other health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, per this 2019 meta-analysis in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.
Provides Lots of Catechins
Although all true teas contain some catechins, green tea has the highest levels by far. As previously mentioned, catechins are the active component in green tea that has been of interest to researchers. The most well-known and abundant catechin in green tea is called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
Green tea (and EGCG specifically) may be beneficial for weight loss by increasing your metabolic rate and promoting fat-burning for energy, per this 2018 review from Molecules. Your metabolic rate is the number of calories your body burns doing everyday activities, so having a higher metabolic rate may translate to weight loss.
Combining green tea with exercise seems to enhance the effectiveness of EGCG. One small 2018 study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Science found that females who drank a cup of matcha green tea before exercising burned more fat than those who did not.
Over the long term, there is limited research on green tea consumption and weight status. However, a 2022 study based in Korea, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that drinking four or more cups of green tea daily was linked with a 44% lower risk of abdominal obesity. Yet, the association was only seen in women.
Contains Caffeine
One of the reasons that green tea may be especially beneficial for weight loss is its unique combination of catechins and caffeine. Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant that can help you feel more alert and enhance exercise performance. When it comes to calorie-burning, caffeine and ECGC appear to work together. A 2017 systematic review from Nutricion Hospitalaria found that green tea extract was only effective for weight loss when combined with 80 to 300 milligrams of caffeine per day.
Potential Side Effects
Green tea extract is a popular ingredient in many weight-loss supplements and products. According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, green tea supplements have been associated with potential adverse effects like constipation, nausea, liver damage and increased blood pressure. However, no safety concerns are reported for consuming green tea as a beverage.
Difficulty Sleeping
One 8-ounce cup of green tea contains about 30 mg of caffeine, which is far less than the 90 to 100 mg of caffeine in a typical cup of coffee. However, choosing a decaffeinated green tea may be a better option if you are more sensitive to caffeine, and it affects your ability to sleep restfully at night.
May Interfere with Iron Absorption
Green tea contains natural compounds called tannins and oxalates, which can interfere with the body's ability to absorb iron. Although research has shown that tannins can reduce iron absorption with one meal, long-term studies have not conclusively demonstrated that tea drinkers are more likely to have iron deficiency, per a 2017 review in Current Developments in Nutrition.
The Bottom Line
Although the effects of drinking green tea for weight loss are likely small, it still offers some health benefits beyond plain water. As you rethink your drink for weight loss, consider sipping on some green tea, as it can keep you hydrated, supply an energy boost from caffeine and provide powerful antioxidants in the form of catechins.
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