Reduction of Visceral Fat in Overweight Female Volunteers by Long-term Ingestion of Tea Catechins with a Galloyl Moiety - A Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Study

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effect of consumption of catechins with a galloyl moiety on body fat level and its safety in healthy women. METHODS: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study for 12 weeks was conducted. The beverage (340 mL/bottle) contained 169.9 mg of tea catechins with a galloyl moiety A total of 41 subjects with 23 < BMI. <30 were divided into two groups. Each subject in the test group was given 2 bottles of the test beverage/day and each subject in the placebo group was given 2 bottles of a placebo beverage. RESULTS: The measurements of abdominal fat areas indicated significant reduction of visceral fat area in the catechin group compared with the placebo group at 12 weeks after consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Our present observations suggest that consumption of catechins with a galloyl moiety may be useful for the prevention of obesity-related disorders in women.