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How do I Choose the Best Green Tea Dietary Supplement?

Erin J. Hill
Erin J. Hill

The best way to choose a green tea dietary supplement is to speak with your doctor, pharmacist, or nutritionist to determine which option may be best for you. Browse your local pharmacies to check out various formulations. You should also determine ahead of time what you will be using the supplement for, as green tea may help with a variety of conditions or issues. Once you have done these things, check the ingredients of supplements at your pharmacy or health food store and then either research them independently or discuss them with your health care provider to find out which ones would work best for your purposes.

One of the primary uses of the green tea dietary supplement is for antioxidants and immune boosting support. Green tea is full of these compounds, and has been shown to help reduce the risk of certain cancers and other illnesses. If this is the only purpose for taking green tea, you should choose a basic option that contains pure natural green tea as the main or only ingredient. Try to find whole food sources, if possible, with few added fillers and preservatives.

Green tea.
Green tea.

If you want to take a green tea dietary supplement for weight loss, be sure to look out for added ingredients that may not be desired. Green tea has been shown in some studies to boost metabolism by itself, but some diet formulations may include other ingredients, such as ephedra. Be sure the option you choose doesn't have any stimulants, as these can cause serious health issues in some individuals. If you are unsure about the safety of any ingredients found in the supplement you are interested in, speak with a doctor or another health care professional.

Green tea is generally considered safe for anyone, but if you have any doubts or are taking other medications, speak with your doctor before taking a green tea dietary supplement. This will allow you to determine if any adverse reactions can be expected. If you react poorly or have troublesome side effects to the supplement you choose, be sure it is not being caused by additional ingredients before you determine that you cannot tolerate green tea.

Be sure to discuss any medical condition you may be having with a doctor or pharmacist before attempting to treat it with a green tea supplement. A proper diagnosis and treatment are crucial for any serious medical condition. Additionally, a proper diet and exercise plan are also required for healthy weight loss as well as to maintain a strong immune system.

Discussion Comments

Feryll

There is a guy who works out at the gym where I am a member who started taking green tea supplements as a way to lose weight. The supplements plus his workouts helped him drop a good deal of weight. However, I know people who think a green tea diet alone is enough to get them to their ideal weights, and this simply is not the case.

Green tea can do only so much in helping you reach your perfect weight. You still have to do the heavy lifting. In other words, watch what you eat and how much you eat; and exercise every day.

Laotionne

@Sporkasia - I agree that going straight to the source and making teas from plants is probably better than taking capsules, but I take capsule-form green tea supplements because they are much more convenient. There are plenty of times when I am running short on time and making a cup of tea is out of the question. Swallowing a capsule takes a couple of moments and then I can go on with my schedule.

This being said, I am making an effort to drink more teas and cut back on the supplements from the bottles. However, I take so many supplements that replacing them with tea is not practical since I would be drinking tea non-stop throughout the day.

Sporkasia

If you want to get all of the benefits of green tea without risking getting some other ingredients when you take green tea supplements then you should considering buying natural green tea leaves. In general, teas that you brew and drink are going to have the healthy ingredients you are looking for while the supplements in capsule and pill forms may be missing something that was present in the original plant, or the pills and capsules may have other ingredients added as this article mentions.

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