Green tea may improve endurance during exercise

Japanese researchers have discovered that habitual consumption of green tea extract improves endurance during exercise by up to 24% in mice. It appears that the mechanism of action involves stimulating the use of fatty acids by the muscle, speeding up fat breakdown and possibly aiding weight loss. Green tea contains high concentrations of catechins (antioxidant polyphenols), which have been associated with health benefits. In this study Takatoshi Murase and colleagues from the Biological Science Laboratories, Kao Corporation, Tochigi, Japan, tested the effects of green tea extract on the endurance capacity, energy metabolism and fat oxidation in Balb/c mice. Only long term intake of green tea extract had a positive effect on endurance capacity. No effects were observed after a single dose. A follow up experiment tested the effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), thought to be one of the potent antioxidants in green tea. EGCG had a weak beneficial effect, suggesting that it contributed to the overall effect together with other green tea components. From their experiments, the authors concluded that habitual exercise and consumption of green tea extract enhanced fatty acid availability, catabolism and utilization in muscle, resulting in prolonged endurance during exercise. http://www.rssl.com/OurServices/FoodENews