Hot New Anti-Fat Pill That Really Works

October 14, 2006

Posted by Jean Carper

Looking for a simple, safe pill to fight fat and control weight? Try EGCG, the main antioxidant in green tea.

That’s what many experts now advise. Unlike the many phony weight-loss pills on the market, EGCG really is effective, says growing evidence and leading authorities, including Harry Preuss, M.D., professor at Georgetown Medical Center and research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. He recommends taking EGCG supplements to help control weight and fat in his new book, “The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy,” available in January, 2007.

Dr. Preuss points to solid scientific studies showing that EGCG (epigallo-cathechin-gallate) burns more calories by boosting metabolism and can actually kill fat cells and stop the creation of new fat cells. When fat cells were exposed to EGCG for 3 or 4 days, more than 50% of the cells died, in research at the University of Georgia. “Anything that can kill fat cells might help you lose weight. EGCG does just that,” says Dr. Preuss.

At a recent symposium of the American College of Nutrition, Michael Boschmann, Ph.D., from the Universitary Medicine, Charite in Berlin, Germany, reported that taking 300 mg of EGCG can increase the burning of body fat (fat oxidation) by as much as 8% in humans in a double blind controlled study. EGCG worked best after a high-fat meal.

Combining EGCG with caffeine increased calorie burning by an average 180 calories a day and did not raise pulse rate or blood pressure, making the EGCG-caffeine combo safer than some anti-obesity prescription drugs, say Canadian researchers at Laval University.

Dutch researchers also found that former dieters who took 270 mg EGCG and 150 mg caffeine a day continued to lose weight over three months, compared to those on a placebo who gained 40% of their weight back.

Be sure to get the “right” dose. The best fat-fighting dose of EGCG is around 300 mg a day, says leading researcher Susanne Klaus, at the German Institute of Human Nutrition. Lower doses of 90 mg EGCG in some supplements is not enough to affect weight, she says, and over 300-325 mg daily is not more effective, studies find.

If you use caffeine, 100-150mg a day appears beneficial, such as a cup of coffee, but adding more than 300 mg on top of that by drinking a couple or three cups of coffee a day, may be detrimental to weight-loss, say experts.