Although weight loss supplements do not work miracles, that is to say you cannot eat all you want then take a pill and expect it all to go away (healthfully at least), weight-loss experts and dieticians alike agree that most weight loss supplements can help the dieter in his continuing battle to trim the fat. Of the three most commonly used weight loss supplements in the market today – green tea, protein, and ephedra - green tea extract seems to be the most promising.

Green tea is made from the steaming of the herb Camellia sinensis, a plant cultivated by the Ancient Chinese as a remedy for indigestion, headaches, and depression. In recent studies, it was found that green tea could be a potential cancer fighter and help fight several other major diseases as well.

However, the virtues of green tea are not limited to medicinal benefits. It has been found that certain properties in green tea makes it an great organic alternative to the typical weight loss supplements.

The use of green tea extract as a major ingredient in weight loss supplements was spurred on by a recent study taken by American and Swiss scientists at the University of Geneva. Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, their study showed that green tea has powerful antioxidants that can cause an increase in energy expenditure of the body. This study led manufacturers to the idea that green tea extract had the potential to become a good weight loss supplement since it was effective as well as safe and natural.

Green tea weight loss supplements contain both the chemical epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and caffeine. When these two substances in green tea react to each other, it causes metabolism rates to increase above the body’s 24-hour energy expenditure. Green tea’s EGCG also triggers the release of the hormone noradrenaline, which has been shown to be an appetite-suppressant.

This makes green tea effective in two ways: weight loss supplements made from green tea can boost the body’s metabolic rates, thereby increasing the rate by which calories and fat are burned, and green tea can also stimulate the body into burning fats faster, leading to more fats being turned into energy.

If you want an idea of how much weight you can lose with green tea supplements, you can look to a study published in Phytomedicine, a journal on the health benefits of plants, which states the people who take in green tea extract as weight loss supplement ideally lose about two-and-a-half pounds a month.

Like many supplements, Green tea supplements generally come in standardized tablets or capsule forms. For best results, choose a green tea weight loss supplement that contains at least ninety milligrams of EGCG and at least fifty milligrams of caffeine. You can expect to take them three times a day, right before eating. Even though green tea supplements are typically all natural and have no adverse side-effects, it is still recommended that you consult a doctor before taking them or diet supplements of any kind.

"Tea first. Then be ready."

-Twin Peaks
Episode 5