You may have heard or read about the green tea diet. Is it safe to go on such a diet? Doesn’t the body require nutrients, life-sustaining chemicals that are not found in green tea?
Yes the cells of the body do need a source of energy. Carbohydrates and fats supply the body with added energy. When a diet contains more fat and carbohydrates than the body needs at the moment, the cells store a certain amount of energy. Some of that potential energy takes the form of a particular element of the cell’s biochemical make-up. That intracellular holder of energy is called “ADP.”
When a muscle needs energy, the muscle cells must alter the chemical composition of the ADP. They must change that ADP into a substance called ATP. That ATP can furnish the muscle cell with the energy needed for movement. The production of ATP requires inhibition of a special biochemical pathway. The functioning of that pathway can come under the influence of certain chemicals, chemicals such as those found in green tea leaves.
The biochemical pathway that slows production of ATP can be stimulated by the presence of chemicals called catechinpolyphenols. Such polyphenols can be found in green tea leaves, leaves that were steamed before they were packaged for sale. Because green tea leaves contain those special polyphenols, consumption of green tea can promote weight loss.
The drinking of green tea enhances the ability of body cells to carry out thermogenesis. That is the process by which a cell can create heat. It is a process that can be stimulated by the drinking of green tea. The polyphenols in the green tea act on the fatty acids inside of the fat storage cells.
In the presence of polyphenols the fatty acids in the cells permit creation of a special protein. As that protein becomes a presence in the chemical mix, hydrogen ions (H+) move into a compartment within the mitochondria (fixtures inside of the cell). When a cell allows hydrogen ions to move into the mitochondria, then the cell bypasses the path used to complete ATP synthesis.
In the absence of ATP synthesis, the cell uses energy to make heat. That process is called thermogenesis. Because it is a fat-burning process, it requires the expenditure of calories. That fact highlights the reason that the drinking of green tea can help a person to lose weight.
You might wonder why only green tea has the ability to enhance the calorie-burning ability of a living cell. The answer to that puzzle can be found in the various methods for tea preparation. Most tea is fermented before it is packaged for sale. The fermentation process destroys the polyphenols. Green tea, however, is steamed before packaging. That allows the polyphenols to retain their ability to hasten the use of the thermogenic process.
