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This Article Full Text (Publish Ahead of Print[PDF]) All Versions of this Article: 89/3/822    most recent ajcn.2008.27043v1 Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hursel, R. Articles by Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hursel, R. Articles by Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S Agricola Articles by Hursel, R. Articles by Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S

Green tea catechin plus caffeine supplementation to a high-protein diet has no additional effect on body weight maintenance after weight loss^1,2,3

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.

ABSTRACT

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 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 a 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 (REE), and fat-free mass (FFM) were relatively increased in both the HP groups and in the AP + green tea–caffeine mixture group (P < 0.05), whereas respiratory quotient and body fat mass were reduced, all compared with the AP + placebo group. Satiety was only increased in both HP groups (P < 0.05). The green tea–caffeine mixture was only effective with the AP diet.

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

Received for publication September 30, 2008. Accepted for publication December 16, 2008.