Supplement Series: Green Tea Extract and Weight Loss
The content in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, diet, or supplements prior to making any changes. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you read in this publication (or the internet in general).
Even if you try to be mindful of what you’re eating, when you start working the night shift, you will almost certainly pick up an extra pound or two. Night shift workers are especially susceptible to weight gain because they tend to burn less calories, experience sleep deprivation which contributes to poor eating habits, and have lower metabolic rates than conventional workers.
In addition to improving your sleep hygiene and changing your exercise habits, you can help combat weight gain and actually lose weight by using green tea extract.
Green tea extract has a combination of catechins and caffeine that help promote weight loss. These ingredients help improve the body’s thermogenesis, which aids the metabolism and makes it easier for the body to burn calories.
According to a meta-analysis published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, consumption of the catechins present in green tea extract can reduce BMI, lower body weight, and decrease the risk of developing heart disease. This supplement also helps decrease muscle fatigue, allowing individuals to improve their exercise performance and burn calories. Green tea extract can increase the number of calories you burn by as much as 4%.
Regular intake of green tea extract can give your body the boost it needs to keep off extra weight and help you lose weight while working nights.
Green tea extract also has myriad health benefits that can be particularly helpful for night shift workers:
- Green tea extract is high in antioxidants. Antioxidants present in green tea extract, like catechins, help protect the body’s cells, bolster the immune system, aid in weight loss. Night shift workers, who tend to have poorer immune system function due to low quality sleep, need antioxidant rich foods or supplements to stay healthy.
- Green tea extract supports heart health. Less movement and exercise throughout their day due to working odd hours can put night shift workers at risk for hypertension, heart disease, and heart attacks. Green tea extract helps combat high blood pressure and lowers the level of triglycerides in the blood, significantly decreasing the likelihood that an individual will develop heart disease or other cardiovascular issues.
- Green tea extract can reduce your risk of developing cancer. Because the antioxidants in green tea extract support cell function and cell health, it can help decrease an individual’s risk for developing certain cancers including breast cancer and prostate cancer.
- Green tea extract supports healthy liver function. Green tea extract can reduce fat and inflammation surrounding the liver, helping it to function more efficiently. Night shift workers tend to struggle with inflammation, so they will benefit from taking this supplement.
- Green tea extract promotes skin health. Green tea extract has been shown to help reduce acne, treat dermatitis, and otherwise improve skin health and appearance. This can be helpful for night shift workers who are prone to dry skin and other skin issues due to a consistent lack of high quality sleep.
- Green tea extract lowers blood sugar. Working nights can make people more likely to eat processed foods and sugary snacks that can lead to high blood sugar and other related health issues. Green tea extract aids insulin regulation, helping to maintain healthy blood sugar levels in the body.
While working the night shift can take a toll on your physical health, there are steps you can take to stay healthy and help minimize the impact of working nights. Taking green tea extract will help.
Consuming green tea extract
In order to get the full health benefits provided by green tea extract, experts recommend that men and women over the age of 18 consume between 250–500mg of this supplement each day.
If you want to take advantage of the benefits of green tea extract, you can find green tea extract supplements in both liquid and capsule form to take every day. You can also gain many of the same advantages of green tea extract by consuming green tea.
You will want to be careful not to take too much green tea extract as it can negatively affect your liver health, so aim for no higher than the recommended daily dosage.
As a night shift worker, it can be easy to let weight gain creep up on you until next thing you know you’ve gained a few pounds and increased your risk of developing type 2 diabetes or heart disease. Help prevent this from happening and shed extra weight by taking adequate amounts of green tea extract each day.
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