“…lead author Mousumi Bose and colleagues observed that mice adhering to a high fat diet with EGCG supplementation experienced decreases in body weight and body fat percentage…”
– Weight Loss with Green Tea and EGCG, Livestrong.com
Green Tea Extract EGCG, the first ‘G’ in the Four Hour Body’s PAGG weight loss supplement stack.
What we want from this extract is the active ingredient Epigallocatechin Gallate, or simply, EGCG. Why is it only in green tea and not other teas? This is because in the creation of black / red tea, EGCG is oxidised, forming Thearubigins, the stuff that make such teas reddish when steeped. Another thing to note is that if the water is too hot, EGCG is converted into CGC. In both cases, you lose practically all of its benefits.
EGCG has been the given a lot of attention lately. This is because there’s increasing evidence that it’s capable of treating and protecting the body from various cancers, microbial infections and possibly parkinson’s disease.
Apart from EGCG being a powerful anti-oxidant, EGCG has also been tested to help burn fat in a few ways:
1. It prevents storage of excess carbohydrates as fats
2. It appears to promote the self destruction of stubborn mature fat cells (Fatty, Be Gone!)
3. It increases resting metabolic rate, burning more calories
Lots of health benefits.. and it aids in fat burning. Fantastic yes?
Why don’t we just steep? Why buy supplements?
Apart from accidentally converting EGCG is water that’s too hot, it’s mainly because you can’t control the amount of EGCG you consume. Not only that, to get the recommended 325mg, you’ll need quite a lot of tea bags and ingest quite a bit of caffeine as well. Supplements allow you to get a specified amount while allowing you the choice of having or not having caffeine with it.
EGCG Labeling
A lot of people are confused by ‘Green Tea Extract’ and ‘EGCG’. They are not the same. EGCG is a component, an extract of Green Tea leafs. Higher quality supplements have EGCG described as a percentage of the total amount of green tea extract.
Example:
Green Tea Extract (Camellia Sinensis) 500mg
35% EGCG (175mg)
You’d notice that some supplements only have ‘green tea extract (camellia sinensis)’ on them. These are lower quality ones, with no control for EGCG extraction, and are therefore cheaper. Some, like GNC’s Herbal Plus, have both extracts, 1 with no EGCG yield, another with higher EGCG yield, which is really a cost savings measure..and confuses people (You can see it here, under supplement facts).
What matters is the EGCG amount. Just turn the bottle around and if it’s not there, move on.
Tim recommends 325mg of EGCG prior to each meal, so try to get a product that has that amount in 1 pill, for convenience. A good one is recommended below.
Side Effects
Not much, though those of you undergoing cancer treatment should consult with your doctors first as it may increase or decrease the effectiveness of your prescriptions. Those undergoing multiple myeloma or mantle cell lymphoma should avoid EGCG as well.
PAGG Constituants:
P – Policosanol 23mg
A – Alpha Lipoic Acid ALA 100-300mg, R-ALA 50-150mg
G – Green Tea Extract EGCG 325mg
G – Garlic Extract Allicin 3200mcg
Daily PAGG Intake Plan for Alpha Lipoc Acid:
Prior to Breakfast – AGG *
Prior to Lunch – AGG *
Prior to Dinner – AGG *
Prior to Bed – PAG
Tim Uses:
Life Extension, Decaffeinated Mega Green Tea Extract, 100 Veg Caps
326.5mg EGCG per cap
Where to Purchase
US: Amazon (international Link)
Worldwide: from iHerb
Use the code ‘ZEL439‘ at iHerb.com to save US$5 off your 1st purchase
Too many pills? PAGG Made Easy. Click here to find out more