Green Tea Supplementation Affects Body Weight, Lipids, and Lipid Peroxidation in Obese Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effects of supplementation of green tea beverage or green tea extracts with controls on body weight, glucose and lipid profile, biomarkers of oxidative stress, and safety parameters in obese subjects with metabolic syndrome.

Design: Randomized, controlled prospective trial.

Setting: General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC).

Subjects: Thirty-five subjects with obesity and metabolic syndrome were recruited in age- and gender-matched trios and were randomly assigned to the control (4 cups water/d), green tea (4 cups/d), or green tea extract (2 capsules and 4 cups water/d) group for 8 weeks. The tea and extract groups had similar dosing of epiogallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the active compound in green tea.

Methods: Anthropometrics, blood pressure, fasting glucose and lipids, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based lipid particle size, safety parameters, biomarkers of oxidative stress (oxidized low-density lipoprotein [LDL], myeloperoxidase [MPO], malondialdehyde and hydroxynonenals [MDA and HNE]), and free catechins were analyzed at screen and at 4 and 8 weeks of the study.

Results: Pairwise comparisons showed green tea beverage and green tea extracts caused a significant decrease in body weight and body mass index (BMI) versus controls at 8 weeks (−2.5 ± 0.7 kg, p < 0.01, and −1.9 ± 0.6, p < 0.05, respectively). Green tea beverage showed a decreasing trend in LDL-cholesterol and LDL/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) versus controls (p < 0.1). Green tea beverage also significantly decreased MDA and HNE (−0.39 ± 0.06 µM, p < 0.0001) versus controls. Plasma free catechins were detectable in both beverage and extract groups versus controls at screen and at 8 weeks, indicating compliance and bioavailability of green tea catechins.

Conclusions: Green tea beverage consumption (4 cups/d) or extract supplementation (2 capsules/d) for 8 weeks significantly decreased body weight and BMI. Green tea beverage further lowered lipid peroxidation versus age- and gender-matched controls, suggesting the role of green tea flavonoids in improving features of metabolic syndrome in obese patients.

The authors wish to thank Kavitha Penugonda for her technical assistance in plasma catechin analyses, all OUHSC employees for their participation in the study, and the Bionutrition staff at GCRC for administration of intervention and patient follow-up. This work was supported in part by the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center General Clinical Research Center grant M01-RR14467, National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health. It was also supported by the College of Human Environmental Sciences, Oklahoma State University.