In an effort to combat the growing epidemic of obesity, we in the West are eager to embrace just about any possible medication or dietary supplement. Instead of recognizing that if we burn more calories than we ingest, we will lose weight, and that any weight gained slowly will probably be lost slowly, we line up in great numbers to embrace the latest diet fad or supplement.

Unfortunately, Green Tea is now high on the list of “wonder cures” for obesity. While its use in the East dates back thousands of years, and it is a wonderful component of the ritual known as the Japanese Tea Ceremony, we want to instead concentrate its properties in powder or pill form and ingest it as quickly as possible, believing that such an action will aid in the rapid loss of weight.

While there are many admirable properties found in Green Tea, several of which have potentially beneficial outcomes, we fail to admit that one panacea will not replace years of bad eating habits and a lack of regular exercise. We feel that more is better—a high concentration of Green Tea will allow me to drop a dress size in two (2) weeks! We ignore any potential shock to our systems that imbibing large amounts of Green Tea can produce, and whether we are actually endangering our future by seeking the “quick fix.”

The evidence of many of the health claims attributed to Green Tea are largely anecdotal and the FDA has only approved it as a component in a medication for genital warts. Therefore, we best serve ourselves by slowing sipping an occasional cup of Green Tea or enjoying it as a participant in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The time and effort needed to lose weight is best spent embracing the simple principles of exercise and a proper diet.