So what's in your cup? The question may be more pressing than many think. Green Tea has long been touted for its health benefits, but to the degree that it could offer the sort of claims being made seemingly on a weekly basis, has clearly been underestimated.
I personally do not like the panacea approach to health supplements and the like, but there is certainly mounting evidence on the value of Green Tea which cannot be ignored. Claims range from its ability to fight Cardiovascular disease (the number 1 killer in the US), certain types of Cancer, Weight management and more recently, improve Endurance Capacity.
Clearly there is going to be two side to any such claims. You have certain interests, often politically and financially driven, that will raise doubts to such claims. Though efficacy remains paramount to any claims, one cannot ignore the sources on either side. Suffice to say, the FDA can often be construed as the Federal Drug Approval agency, with its own agenda...just the same as those looking to bottle up Green Tea Extract (GTE).
So what's this got to do with that athlete in you? Well outside of the various holistic properties mentioned above, the results of a recent Japanese study “indicate that GTE (Green Tea Extract) is beneficial for improving endurance capacity and support the hypothesis that the stimulation of fatty acid utilization is a promising strategy for improving endurance capacity,”. The study entitled "Green tea extract improves endurance capacity and increases muscle lipid oxidation in mice" makes some rather significant findings pertinent to any endurance based athlete. Over the course of 10 weeks, endurance exercise performance was boosted up to 24% with 0.5% GTE supplementation, and 8% with 0.2% by-weight addition to food.
Though I doubt you will start to see Green Tea doping tests anytime soon, I would venture to say that athletes are taking notice. Have you noticed Lance Armstrong advertising for a new health drink called FRS? Actually, this add comes up on this site quite often. The claims from this drink suggest amongst other things, improved Time Trial performance as tested at Pepperdine University. Its the same Green Tea catechin properties present here referenced in the study above.
In another unrelated study at Purdue Univeristy, scientists found that Green Tea+Citrus Juice creates a boost in the availability of antioxidents present after ingestion. The juice that worked the best was lemon juice. It was able to help retain 80% of the catechins. The next most powerful were orange, lime and then grapefruit. This almost makes for an interesting twist for added benefits to FRS I suppose.
In the end, the question is how much? Well, its clear that you do not have to go as far as Ray Kurzwell and drink 10 glasses of Green Tea a day. In the study conducted by the Kao Institute (as referenced above), suggests that a person weighing 165lbs would need roughly 4 cups of green tea a day to recognize the benefits. A good summary is also available <here>
So consider spicing up your summer with some Green Tea. Whether warm, cold, with a little OJ or via Green Tea Extract supplements. Bear in mind that the study required several weeks (10) for changes to take place. So be patient, remember these were mice and finally, we're in for the endurance aspects here, not the sprint.
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