GOOD TO KNOW: 60%+ Reduced Absorption of EGCG if You Consume [Green Tea Extract] W/ Food – Better Take Your Green Tea Caps On Empty.

To determine the effect of the different food items on the absorption of EGCG, the scientists used blood samples that were taken before the ingestion of the capsules / sorbet, 30min, 1h, 2h, 3h, 5h, and 8h afterwards by the means of a previously installed intravenous catheter . . .

The amount of EGCG that actually made it into the blood of the study participants was significantly (and practically relevantly) reduced when the capsulse were ingested with food or the EGCG was incorporated into the sorbet.

Related: More muscle, less fat with chocolate and green tea polyphenols.

Both resveratrol and curcumin also have anti-obesity effects, again in cell culture, animals, and humans, although the results don’t appear to be quite as strong as for green tea polyphenols.

Green tea constituents appear to be quite safe: “We conclude that it is safe for healthy individuals to take green tea polyphenol products in amounts equivalent to the EGCG content in 8–16 cups of green tea once a day or in divided doses twice a day for 4 weeks.”