An exercise expert has explained how certain teas can help tackle "hidden fat" in the body, as too much can raise risks of serious health issues.
While fat is stored in various ways throughout the body, this type of flab lies under the skin and makes up the subcutaneous tissue that we can feel in places like the stomach or arms. While humans require a certain amount of visceral fat to stay warm and protect organs, excess amounts can play a role in heart disease, diabetes and even some cancers.
While eating a healthy diet and regular exercise is the best way to shed weight - a personal trainer claims that one beverage can also make a difference, The Mirror reports.
Nathan Honess, of sports nutrition retailer Bio-Synergy recommends switching out regular tea for either matcha green tea, regular green tea or peppermint tea.
Visceral fat makes up about one tenth of the body's fat stores and has been linked to a high calorie diet and sedentary lifestyle
"To help reduce visceral fat, there’s a few easy changes you can make to your diet and one involves boiling the kettle," he said.
"Instead of your normal cuppa try switching to matcha green tea – a study found that the key nutrient – catechin – helped reduce the visceral fat in its participants, as well as overall body fat. If matcha is not for you, try a cup of green or peppermint tea to aid digestion and your metabolism."
Green and peppermint tea are widely available for a few quid - a box of Twinings Peppermint Tea is £2.25 at Tesco or Tetley Green Tea is £2 at Sainsbury's. Matcha tea can be picked up at the supermarket with Sainsbury's own brand selling for £2, whilst Pukka Matcha Green Tea Bags are £3 for Tesco Clubcard members and a bag of Matcha Green Tea Powder is £6 on Amazon.
Speaking on the risks of visceral fat, Nathan added: "It’s sometimes referred to as ‘hidden fat’ because it’s stored deep in your body and can be hard to distinguish.
"Too much visceral fat can lead to health problems such as lower back pain, heart disease and diabetes."
In the 2007 study, published by Obesity journal, 240 men and women with "visceral fat-type obesity" were given green tea with different levels of catechins every day for 12 weeks.
Researchers found that participants who drank green tea containing 583mg of catechins (the higher amount) saw a greater reduction in fat.
"Decreases in body weight, body mass index, body fat ratio, body fat mass, waist circumference, hip circumference, visceral fat area, and subcutaneous fat area were found to be greater in the catechin group than in the control group," they said.
"The continuous ingestion of a green tea extract high in catechins led to a reduction in body fat, systolic blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, suggesting that the ingestion of such an extract contributes to a decrease in obesity and cardiovascular disease risks."
Other ways to tackle visceral fat
The personal trainer suggests other ways to shed visceral fat, including a healthier diet and increased exercise.
Nathan says: "Leafy greens are a good addition to your weekly shop to get rid of visceral fat; try a helping of spinach or kale with your evening meal or lunchtime salad.
"One of the best methods of exercise is to hit 10,000 steps a day (to increase your activity levels) and also through regular HIIT sessions (high intensity interval training).
"As the name suggests, HIIT is short, intense bursts of exercise – think lunges, squats, burpees – which get your heart rate pumping and can help reduce fat when done regularly alongside a healthy diet.
"Regular exercise and eating wholesome, nutritious foods is the best approach at targeting visceral fat."
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