Green Tea, Black Tea, and Oolong Tea Polyphenols Reduce Visceral Fat and Inflammation in Mice Fed High-Fat, High-Sucrose Obesogenic Diets

Abstract

Green tea (GT) and caffeine in combination were shown to increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation, but less is known about the effects of black tea (BT) and oolong tea (OT). This study investigated whether decaffeinated polyphenol extracts from GT, BT, and OT decrease body fat and inflammation in male C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat/high-sucrose [HF/HS (32% energy from fat, 25% energy from sucrose)] diets. Mice were fed either an HF/HS diet with 0.25% of polyphenol from GT, OT, or BT or a low-fat/high-sucrose [LF/HS (10.6% energy from fat, 25% energy from sucrose)] diet for 20 wk. Monomeric tea polyphenols were found in the liver and adipose tissue of mice fed the HF/HS diet with GT polyphenols (GTPs) and OT polyphenols (OTPs) but not BT polyphenols (BTPs). Treatment with GTPs, OTPs, BTPs, and an LF/HS diet led to significantly lower body weight, total visceral fat volume by MRI, and liver lipid weight compared with mice in the HF/HS control group. Only GTPs reduced food intake significantly by ∼10%. GTP, BTP, and LF/HS-diet treatments significantly reduced serum monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) compared with HF/HS controls. In mesenteric fat, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (Mcp1) gene expression was significantly decreased by treatment with GTPs, BTPs, OTPs, and an LF/HS diet and in liver tissue by GTP and BTP treatments. Mcp1 gene expression in epididymal fat was significantly decreased by the BTP and LF/HS diet interventions. In epididymal fat, consistent with an anti-inflammatory effect, adiponectin gene expression was significantly increased by GTPs and OTPs. Angiogenesis during adipose tissue expansion is anti-inflammatory by maintaining adipocyte perfusion. We observed significantly increased gene expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A by GTPs and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 by BTPs and the LF/HS diet and a decrease in pigment epithelium-derived factor gene expression by OTPs and BTPs. In summary, all 3 tea polyphenol extracts induced weight loss and anti-inflammatory and angiogenic effects, although the tissue content of polyphenols differed significantly.

Phenolic compounds from cagaita (Eugenia dysenterica DC.) fruit prevent body weight and fat mass gain induced by a high-fat, high-sucrose diet

“…Consistent with these findings, Heber et al (2014) reported that C57BL/6J mice gained less weight on an HF/HS diet and supplementation with phenolic-enriched extracts. In the same order, the body composition of mice confirms that the administration of CGT promotes a reduction in body fat accumulation despite the negative effects of the HF/HS diet.…”

Diet-related inflammation and oesophageal cancer by histological type: a nationwide case–control study in Sweden

“…In contrast, high-fat foods (e.g. sausage, cookies, biscuits, cake, pastries) [33], high-energy (e.g. sugar-sweetened) drinks [34,35], and processed meat [36,37] have been associated with pro-inflammatory properties.…”

White tea intake interferes with the expression of angiogenic factors in the corpora lutea of superovulated rats

“…The caffeine in white tea may, in part, be responsible for this result, as it is thermogenic and stimulates the oxidation of fat (for review, see Harpaz et al ., ). However, caffeine is unlikely to be solely responsible for this finding, as catechins containing caffeine have a greater thermogenic effect than caffeine alone (Heber et al ., ; Yoneshiro et al ., ).…”

“…Similar results were found by Heber et al . (); in their study, Vegf gene expression increased in adipose tissue in mice fed green tea polyphenols. It is possible that the effects of catechins vary in pathological and physiological vascularisation and among different organs.…”