The Impact of Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract on Fat Oxidation, Body Composition and Cardio-Metabolic Health in Overweight, Recreationally Active Individuals

• Main Authors: Justin D. Roberts, Ashley G. B. Willmott, Liam Beasley, Mariette Boal, Rory Davies, Laurence Martin, Havovi Chichger, Lata Gautam, Juan Del Coso
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: green tea extract; fat oxidation; body fat; weight loss; exercise
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/3/764

This study investigated the effect of decaffeinated green tea extract (dGTE), with or without antioxidant nutrients, on fat oxidation, body composition and cardio-metabolic health measures in overweight individuals engaged in regular exercise. Twenty-seven participants (20 females, 7 males; body mass: 77.5 ± 10.5 kg; body mass index: 27.4 ± 3.0 kg·m²; peak oxygen uptake (O_2peak): 30.2 ± 5.8 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) were randomly assigned, in a double-blinded manner, either: dGTE (400 mg·d⁻¹ (−)-epigallocatechin−3-gallate (EGCG), <i>n</i> = 9); a novel dGTE+ (400 mg·d⁻¹ EGCG, quercetin (50 mg·d⁻¹) and α-lipoic acid (LA, 150 mg·d⁻¹), <i>n</i> = 9); or placebo (PL, <i>n </i>= 9) for 8 weeks, whilst maintaining standardised, aerobic exercise. Fat oxidation (‘FAT_MAX’ and steady state exercise protocols), body composition, cardio-metabolic and blood measures (serum glucose, insulin, leptin, adiponectin, glycerol, free fatty acids, total cholesterol, high [HDL-c] and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-c], triglycerides, liver enzymes and bilirubin) were assessed at baseline, week 4 and 8. Following 8 weeks of dGTE+, maximal fat oxidation (MFO) significantly improved from 154.4 ± 20.6 to 224.6 ± 23.2 mg·min⁻¹ (<i>p </i>= 0.009), along with a 22.5% increase in the exercise intensity at which fat oxidation was deemed negligible (FAT_MIN; 67.6 ± 3.6%O_2peak, <i>p </i>= 0.003). Steady state exercise substrate utilisation also improved for dGTE+ only, with respiratory exchange ratio reducing from 0.94 ± 0.01 at week 4, to 0.89 ± 0.01 at week 8 (<i>p </i>= 0.004). This corresponded with a significant increase in the contribution of fat to energy expenditure for dGTE+ from 21.0 ± 4.1% at week 4, to 34.6 ± 4.7% at week 8 (<i>p </i>= 0.006). LDL-c was also lower (normalised fold change of −0.09 ± 0.06) for dGTE+ by week 8 (<i>p </i>= 0.038). No other significant effects were found in any group. Eight weeks of dGTE+ improved MFO and substrate utilisation during exercise, and lowered LDL-c. However, body composition and cardio-metabolic markers in healthy, overweight individuals who maintained regular physical activity were largely unaffected by dGTE.