Effect of Intake of a Beverage Containing 540 mg Catechins on the Body Composition of Obese Women and Men

Catechins, a group of polyphenols found abundantly in tea leaves (Camellia sinensis), have various physiologic effects, including body fat reduction in humans. We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel clinical trial to evaluate the body fat reduction of a beverage containing 540 mg catechins in obese female (n=117) and male (n=109) volunteers (BMI 25-35 kg/m'2'). Subjects were randomized into two groups: one group ingested a placebo beverage and the other group ingested a catechin-containing beverage once a day. After 12 weeks of daily ingestion, abdominal total fat area (p<0.01), abdominal visceral fat area (p<0.01), and abdominal subcutaneous fat area (p<0.01) in the catechin group (both women and men) were lower than corresponding values in the placebo group when average changes from the baseline were compared. Body weight (p<0.01), body fat ratio (p<0.01), body fat mass (p<0.01), waist (p<0.05), hip (p<0.05), and blood pressure (p<0.01) were also significantly lower in the catechin group compared to the placebo group in similar comparisons. Adverse effects caused by the catechin-containing beverage were not observed. These results suggest that ingestion of catechin-containing beverage has body fat- and body weight-reducing effects in obese women and men, and might be useful for the prevention and improvement of lifestyle-related diseases.