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Green tea catechin plus caffeine supplementation to a high-protein diet has no additional effect on body weight maintenance after weight loss

¹ From the Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.

² Supported by NUTRIM, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.

³ Reprints not available. Address correspondence to R Hursel, Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, NL-6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands. E-mail: rick.hursel{at}hb.unimaas.nl.

Background: Green tea (epigallocatechin gallate + caffeine) and protein each were shown to improve body weight maintenance after weight loss.

Objective: We investigated the effect of a green tea–caffeine mixture added to a high-protein (HP) diet on weight maintenance (WM) after body weight loss in moderately obese subjects.

Design: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel trial was conducted in 80 overweight and moderately obese subjects [age (mean ± SD): 44 ± 2 y; body mass index (BMI; in kg/m²): 29.6 ± 2.0] matched for sex, age, BMI, height, body mass, and with a habitually low caffeine intake. A very-low-energy diet intervention during 4 wk was followed by 3 mo of WM; during the WM period, the subjects received a green tea–caffeine mixture (270 mg epigallocatechin gallate + 150 mg caffeine/d) or placebo, both in addition to an adequate protein (AP) diet (50–60 g protein/d) or an HP diet (100–120 g protein/d).

Results: Subjects lost 7.0 ± 1.6 kg, or 8.2 ± 2.0%, body weight (P < 0.001). During the WM phase, WM, resting energy expenditure, and fat-free mass (FFM) increased relatively in both the HP groups and in the AP + green tea–caffeine mixture group (P < 0.05), whereas respiratory quotient and body fat mass decreased, all compared with the AP + placebo group. Satiety increased only in both HP groups (P < 0.05). The green tea–caffeine mixture was only effective with the AP diet.

Conclusion: The green tea–caffeine mixture, as well as the HP diet, improved WM independently through thermogenesis, fat oxidation, sparing FFM, and, for the HP diet, satiety; a possible synergistic effect failed to appear.