When we talk about weight loss, dieting is the first thing that comes to our mind. While diets like intermittent fasting have worked wonders for people in shedding kilos, there are other easy methods that can elevate the process.
A new study has found that having this one tea can help burn belly fat even when you are asleep. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan have found that drinking just two cups of oolong tea, which is the traditional Chinese tea, can rev-up the fat burning process in the body, even while you are asleep.
Tea for weight loss
Just like all the other teas, oolong tea has caffeine, which boosts the metabolism by increasing our heart rate. But oolong tea has an added benefit, it increases the breakdown of fat, independent of the effects of caffeine.
For the study, oolong consumption versus caffeine alone on energy and fat metabolism was evaluated on a group of healthy volunteers.
The results
After studying the participants for two weeks, it was found that both oolong tea and pure caffeine increased the fat breakdown by 20 per cent as compared to those who took a placebo.
Another impressive finding of the study was the positive effects oolong tea had on the body were sustained throughout the night. Though oddly enough, nor the oolong tea group nor the pure caffeine group experienced an increase in energy expenditure. This indicated that the participants might develop a tolerance to the stimulatory effects of both the teas.
There were no major changes seen in either group's sleep pattern, in the time they took to fall asleep, despite the fact that both the treatments involved the consumption of caffeine, which is a sleep disruptor.
Lack of sleep can disturb the metabolism, which helps in breaking down the food and use it as energy, which can lead to weight gain over time. Oolong tea had no negative side effects on the participant's sleep.
Should you start consuming tea every day?
While oolong tea can help in fat breakdown during sleep, which can help control body weight, it's unclear if these effects can actually lead to fat loss over a prolonged period of time. But then there is no harm in trying the tea as it is said it has no side effects.
You can also try having decaffeinated tea if caffeine disrupts your sleep.