White tea: Its history, composition, and potential effects on body weight management

Abstract

Obesity is a rapidly rising global public health concern in both developed and developing countries. Tea components, especially caffeine and catechins, may have beneficial effects in the treatment of obesity. Tea is a widely consumed beverage all over the world and it is a significant part of the culture, especially in Asian countries. Among the tea types, white tea is the least processed and the content of catechins is higher than the others. Many studies have been conducted on tea's health effects, especially on weight management. The beneficial effects of the consumption of tea containing polyphenols and caffeine such as helping to maintain body weight and playing crucial roles in fat metabolism have been shown in many studies. While there are many studies on green tea in the literature, interestingly, studies conducted with white tea are insufficient but showed significant results. Considering the positive health effects of bioactive components in tea species, the results of studies with white tea may be promising. Tea components have many promising health effects; however, these effects are not clearly understood yet, particularly regarding body weight management mechanisms such as fat oxidation and thermogenesis. Therefore, further well‐planned preclinical and clinical research is required to understand the effectiveness and mechanisms of white tea on body weight.