Can green tea stop us piling on the pounds?

Weight management is an important issue for many of us, and the benefits of being within a healthy weight range extend to everything from reduced risks of diabetes, to a longer lifespan.

And although we all know that eating sensibly and exercising is a good way to maintain the weight, it's sometimes good to know we can have a helping hand. This is where green tea might come in useful - as a recent study has shown that it may help slow weight gain.

The study revealed the effects after overweight mice were given compund epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) - which is commonly found in green tea. The mice, who were also fed a high fat diet, put on weight 45% more slowly than another group of mice being fed the same diet, without the green tea.

And instead of suppressing the appetite (as green tea is often thought to be useful for) - EGCG was shown to slow down the bodies ability to absorb fat, and help burn it more effectively.

Will you be drinking more green tea to help maintain your weight?

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