Witte thee tegen overgewicht*
Uit een Duitse studie blijkt het effect van witte thee bij de vertering, opname en opslag van vet in het lichaam. Witte thee vermindert de aanmaak en groei van vetcellen en verhoogt de afbraak van vet uit deze cellen.
Voor het onderzoek werden menselijke vetcellen bewerkt met een witte thee extract en werd er gekeken naar het effect hiervan op de aanmaak en afbraak van vetcellen. Het bleek dat de groei van vetcellen werd verminderd zonder dat de cel werd aangetast. De witte thee zorgde er ook voor dat er meer vetafbraak plaatsvond in de vetcellen.
Is White Tea The Solution To The Obesity Epidemic?
Possible anti-obesity effects of white tea have been demonstrated in a series of experiments on human fat cells (adipocytes). Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism have shown that an extract of the herbal brew effectively inhibits the generation of new adipocytes and stimulates fat mobilization from mature fat cells.
Marc Winnefeld led a team of researchers from Beiersdorf AG, Germany, who studied the biological effects of an extract of white tea the least processed version of the tea plant Camellia sinensis. He said, "In the industrialized countries, the rising incidence of obesity-associated disorders including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes constitutes a growing problem. We've shown that white tea may be an ideal natural source of slimming substances".
After treating lab-cultured human pre-adipocytes with the tea extract, the authors found that fat incorporation during the genesis of new adipocytes was reduced. According to Winnefeld, "The extract solution induced a decrease in the expression of genes associated with the growth of new fat cells, while also prompting existing adipocytes to break down the fat they
contain".
White tea is made from the buds and first leaves of the plant used to make green tea and the black tea most commonly drunk in Western countries. It is less processed than the other teas and contains more of the ingredients thought to be active on human cells, such as methylxanthines (like caffeine) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) which the authors believe to be responsible for many of the anti-adipogenic effects demonstrated in their study.
Source: BioMed Central Limited (Juni
2009)
