Green tea vs. coffee, which one is better for burning fat before exercise?

Burn that fat! In order to get rid of excess fat and flesh in the body, many people go to the gym every day. However, the calories burned in 30 minutes of hard running may be less than a bowl of rice (about 280 calories). The return on investment is pitifully low. How can we improve the efficiency of fat burning? Recent studies have found that drinking coffee or green tea before exercise can enhance exercise fat burning ability, but which one is more efficient? Let’s hear what the nutritionist says!

Green tea and coffee, what is their secret to burning fat?

Ni Manting, a nutritionist at Changhua Christian Hospital, said that the key ingredient in green tea that helps burn fat during exercise is "catechins." Catechins affect the body's sympathetic nervous system, stimulating and prolonging the effects of norepinephrine, which can increase energy expenditure and promote fat oxidation. On the other hand, catechin itself is a type of polyphenol, which can inhibit fat formation, promote fat decomposition and oxidation, and thus reduce body fat.

The key to coffee's fat burning effect is "caffeine", which can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system by inhibiting phosphodiesterase, and enhance the effects of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, thereby promoting the body's energy consumption and fat oxidation, thereby achieving a fat burning effect. In addition, caffeine has a diuretic effect and can also improve edema-type obesity.

Fat Burning Power Showdown: Green Tea VS Coffee

Green tea has a refreshing fragrance, while coffee is bitter at first but sweet later. Their unique flavors make them each have a lot of fans, but if we compare them from the perspective of fat burning ability, which one will win?

In recent years, caffeine in coffee and catechins in green tea have been considered to have the effect of enhancing fat burning ability during exercise.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition pointed out that taking green tea catechins before 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise can increase fat energy consumption by 17%. Another study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Metabolism found that consuming caffeine 30 minutes before exercise can burn 15% more calories than the average person. At first glance, it seems that green tea has a slightly better fat-burning ability, but is it really so?

Nutritionist Ni Manting said that some studies have shown that green tea has no significant effect on weight maintenance in overweight or obese patients. Although there will be a slight weight loss, lower BMI and waist circumference, the degree of decrease is very slight and there is no significant difference compared with the control group.

Therefore, to study the fat-burning power of green tea and coffee in detail, we should return to the experimental design itself. Only when the objective conditions are consistent can a more accurate comparison be made. Even without scientific data, based on personal feelings, it also depends on the concentration of tea or coffee, the amount and the drinking form, especially the beverage form. If extra sugar or creamer is added, it may not only fail to achieve the fat burning effect, but may cause weight gain.

In addition, people who like to drink coffee should pay special attention to the fact that caffeine has a diuretic effect. People who do not want to lose fluids before exercise do not need to drink it specifically. In addition, according to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines 2015-2020, the daily caffeine intake should not exceed 400 mg. Excessive intake may cause some gastrointestinal symptoms (such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea), affect the central nervous system (such as dizziness, insomnia, fatigue), or cause symptoms such as rapid heartbeat and palpitations.

Although green tea and coffee may help burn fat during exercise, what is more important is nutritional replenishment after exercise.

Improve fat burning ability ~ Eating food after exercise is more helpful!

Instead of being overly superstitious about the fat-burning effects of green tea and coffee, it is better to pay more attention to nutritional replenishment after exercise! Nutritionist Ni Manting said that according to the Taiwan Society of Sports Physiology and Physical Fitness (TSEPF), exercise can help muscle growth, increase endurance, and improve the body's synthetic capacity. The highest point will occur between 0 and 45 minutes after exercise, which is a suitable time to supplement nutrition. Compared with supplementing at other times, supplementing nutrition immediately after exercise can more significantly achieve the effect of increasing muscle and reducing fat.

It should be noted that after exercise, you cannot just replenish protein, carbohydrates are more important! Nutritionist Ni Manting recommends replenishing carbohydrates (1.5 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight) within 30 minutes after exercise, that is, staple foods such as white rice, toast, sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc., and consuming protein (beans, fish, meat and eggs), which can significantly improve the effect of exercise training. The ratio of carbohydrates to protein should be 2-4:1, that is, 2 to 4 parts of carbohydrates to 1 part of protein food.

[Nutritionist's Tips]:

The only way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. When eating, you should pay attention to the balance of your diet and not believe in folk remedies or online rumors. You can eat high-fiber foods to increase satiety, reduce the amount of food you eat, and combine it with exercise. Exercise can increase the body's muscle mass to increase the basal metabolic rate and achieve the goal of weight loss.