The Effect of Green Tea Ingestion and Interval Sprinting Exercise on the Body Composition of Overweight Males: A Randomized Trial

Abstract

The combined effect of green tea ingestion and interval sprinting exercise on body and abdominal fat of overweight males was investigated. Participants were randomly assigned into control (C), green tea (GT), interval sprinting exercise (ISE), and green tea and ISE (GT + ISE) groups. The GT, GT + ISE, and C groups consumed three GT capsules daily. The ISE and GT + ISE groups completed 36 ISE sessions over 12 weeks. Forty eight overweight males with a mean BMI of 28.5 ± 0.92 kg/m2 and age of 26 ± 0.7 years acted as participants. There was a significant reduction in total and abdominal fat mass for the ISE and GT + ISE groups, p < 0.05, however, total and abdominal fat mass did not significantly change in the GT and C groups. There was a significant increase in total lean mass, p < 0.05, after the intervention for the ISE and GT + ISE groups only. There was a significant increase in fat oxidation during submaximal aerobic exercise, p < 0.05, after the intervention for the ISE, GT + ISE, and GT groups with no change for the C group. Following the 12-week intervention the ISE and GT + ISE groups, compared to C, recorded a significantly greater decrease in body and abdominal fat, and a significant increase in total lean mass. Ingestion of green tea by itself, however, did not result in a significant decrease in body or abdominal fat, but increased fat utilization during submaximal exercise. The combination of 12 weeks of GT ingestion and ISE did not result in greater total and abdominal fat reduction compared to 12 weeks of ISE alone.

The effect of interval sprinting exercise on vascular function and aerobic fitness of post‐menopausal women

“…ISE has been shown to increase aerobic fitness and decrease arterial stiffness of young adult women and men . Results of this study extend these ISE effects to sedentary overweight post‐menopausal women.…”

“…As a decrease in leg lean mass in older men was strongly correlated to reduced basal leg blood flow, it is feasible that resistance exercise enhances basal leg blood flow by increasing the lean leg mass of men. Interestingly, regular aerobic exercise training has little effect on arm and leg lean mass of overweight adults; however, increase in leg lean mass has been consistently found to increase after regular ISE in young females and men . As limb lean mass was not assessed in the present study, the relationship between basal limb blood flow and ISE induced increase in limb lean mass in post‐menopausal women remains undetermined.…”

“…Importantly, this study is the first to show that only minimal amounts of ISE bring about significant aerobic fitness and vascular benefits. These post‐menopausal women only exercised for 8 hours over 8 weeks compared with previous studies with young adults that used 12‐15 weeks of ISE . This significant increase in aerobic fitness and decrease in arterial stiffness in a relatively short time is an attractive characteristic of ISE as both these variables deteriorate after menopause and both are important predictors of cardiovascular health .…”

“…Aerobic and resistance exercise compliance rates, which are similar for men and women, unfortunately, are typically low due to the high time commitment of these forms of exercise . In contrast, ISE has been shown to be a time‐efficient form of exercise that is effective for increasing aerobic fitness, reducing blood pressure (BP), reducing body fat, and increasing lean mass . ISE consists of a series of short high‐intensity sprints followed by periods of low‐intensity active recovery, allowing participants to exercise at higher intensities for much shorter overall exercise duration .…”

Health Functions and Related Molecular Mechanisms of Tea Components: An Update Review

“…For instance, green tea supplementation (3 tablets of 500 mg after each main meal) with high-intensity interval training for 10 weeks could distinctly reduce body weight, BMI, and the undesirable consequence of overweight, through augmenting the levels of SIRT-1 and PPAR γ co-activator 1-α [164]. In addition, a 12-week intervention with three green tea capsules containing 250 mg of green tea extract (187.5 mg polyphenols, 125 mg EGCG, and 20 mg caffeine) daily and interval sprinting exercise significantly decreased body and abdominal fat, and increased total lean mass in overweight males [165].…”