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In Dr. Oz's Tangerine Weight-Orade recipe, it is claimed:

For a powerful metabolism-boosting drink, try Dr. Oz’s Tangerine Weight-Orade. It contains: green tea, shown to boost metabolism 12% by drinking just one cup; tangerine, with a chemical composition that...

(emphasis mine)

Are there any scientific studies showing that drinking green tea boosts your metabolism in any measurable way? Is this due to the caffeine content, or is there another mechanism?

Sklivvz
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John Lyon
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    I would start by saying that "boost your metabolism" does not really mean anything... – nico May 16 '12 at 09:14
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    Superficially related regarding the usage of the word "boost": http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/42/is-it-possible-to-boost-your-immune-system – Zano May 16 '12 at 11:02
  • @nico In this case, I would mean something like "temporarily increase resting energy consumption". See [basal metabolic rate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate). – John Lyon May 16 '12 at 22:18
  • @jozzas: OK, although remember that that is not necessarily a positive thing. If you ingest a toxin your metabolism will also be *boosted*, so that your body can get rid of it as quickly as possible! – nico May 17 '12 at 07:00

1 Answers1

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I don't know if there have been any clinical trials on the particular product that Dr. Oz is promoting, but there have been several studies published in peer-reviewed journals on the effects of green tea on metabolism and weight loss.

The 2008 study Green tea extract ingestion, fat oxidation, and glucose tolerance in healthy humans found that "average fat oxidation rates were 17% higher after ingestion of green tea extract than after ingestion of placebo."

In 2009 Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults studied the effects of green tea catechin "on body composition and fat distribution in overweight and obese adults during exercise-induced weight loss." The study found that green tea enhances exercise-induced abdominal fat loss. (Note that the placebo used in this study was caffeine.)

In 2010 Green Tea Supplementation Affects Body Weight, Lipids, and Lipid Peroxidation in Obese Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome showed that green tea caused a significant decrease in body weight, body mass index, and cholesterol levels.

Reference: Does Green Tea Speed Up Your Metabolism?

Bill the Lizard
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    Note that other teas might have the same effect, e.g. the oolong tea: Rumpler, William, et al. "Oolong tea increases metabolic rate and fat oxidation in men." The Journal of nutrition 131.11 (2001): 2848-2852. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/11/2848.long "fat oxidation was significantly higher (12%) when subjects consumed the full-strength tea rather than water." – Franck Dernoncourt Jan 25 '14 at 16:26