Q. I’ve been drinking green tea because it’s supposed to help me lose weight. But, it doesn’t seem to be working and I haven’t lost any weight. Why?

A. Green tea is rich in a class of polyphenols (polyphenols give the plant its colour) known as catechins (pronounced kat-a-kins). The strongest catechin in green tea is known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). All of the research showing the effect of green tea on fat loss used green tea extract (not the drink) containing a standardised amount of EGCG.

EGCG is the active ingredient in green tea that works to accelerate fat burning. While a drink of green tea does contain a small amount of EGCG, you’d need almost 10 cups a day to reach the doses used in the research. If you do buy a green tea supplement, make sure that it contains a standardised amount of polyphenols. You’ll see this written clearly on the product label. If it doesn’t have this information, there’s no guarantee that it will help you lose fat. Thermobol (by Maximuscle) for example, contains green tea extract standardised to 95% polyphenols.

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