The Effect of White Tea Consumption on Obesity

Obesity is the increase in body weight above the normal level as a result of excessive fat accumulation. This condition is a chronic metabolic disease that increases the risk of long-term medical complications. The prevalence of obesity is an increasing global public health problem. Numerous conditions such as excessive and malnutrition, lack of physical activity, hormonal factors, genetic and psychological factors, and medicine use are effective in the formation of obesity. Obesity is associated with many diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.

Since the mechanical load and myocardial metabolism increase in obesity, oxygen consumption also increases. Therefore, there is an increase in the formation of oxygen radicals (ROS) caused by mitochondrial respiration. Oxidative stress and ROS stimulate pro-inflammatory cytokine release. ROS attack macromolecules such as DNA, proteins, lipids. Macromolecular damage results in cellular damage and death. Damages caused by ROS are repaired by antioxidant defense systems. It has been suggested that inflammatory markers such as ghrelin, leptin, adiponectin, interleukins, matrix metalloproteinases, tumor necrosis factor are associated with insulin resistance in obese patients. These substances are effective on food intake, energy balance, insulin activity, lipid and glucose metabolism, angiogenesis and vascular structuring and blood pressure in the body.

Many drugs have been used to treat obesity. Orlistat is a widely used drug to treat this disease. It reversibly inhibits gastric and pancreatic lipases. Inactivation of lipases prevents the hydrolysis of triglycerides. Metformin, a dimethylbiguanide, inhibits the mitochondrial complex-I, which leads to adenosine 5-monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. By affecting the AMPK level, it provides the translocation of the glucose transporter 4 protein independently of insulin and regulates the blood glucose level. Clinicians often prescribe it to achieve weight loss. However, they have evinced serious adverse effects, including headache, cardiovascular diseases and depression, which restrict their use.

In recent years, one of the fastest growing fields in the treatment of obesity is the use of natural herbal products and many studies have proven the use of herbal products to be effective and safe. Especially, tea is reported to have anti-obesity, anti-diabetes, anti-inflammatory and hypolipidaemic actions.

Tea is produced from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, which belongs to the Theaceae family, and is one of the most consumed beverages after water in many societies. In general, four types of tea are produced from the tea plant. WT differs from other teas in that only the buds and young leaves of the plant are used. WT has important benefits for human health with its high content of catechins and derivatives, as well as other tea components.

In the literature searches, no clinical research has been found on the effect of WT on obesity, which is richer than other tea varieties in terms of antioxidant properties and produced with less processing. This study aimed to determine the effect of WT consumption on obesity and the relationship between anthropometric and biochemical values of WT consumption in obese individuals.