Polyphenol: Catechins and Weight Loss Supplements

Introduction
Weight loss supplements known to burn fat at a faster rate, due to increasing ones
metabolism and increasing their overall energy throughout the day. Weight loss supplements
are becoming more prevalent as people believe they will help them to lose weight more
rapidly than just changing their eating habits as well as their exercise plans. As well since the
obesity rate is increasing rather drastically throughout the United States, non-prescription
pills are becoming more common as they are taken in order to contribute to a healthier life
style. Just taking these weight loss supplements will not instantly burn fat if one continues to
live an idle lifestyle, these supplements require a person to work out and live a more active
lifestyle this is what causes the fat to burn more rapidly opposed to someone who is not
taking these supplements. As a result, what is in the supplement that is the cause of helping
one to lose weight so quickly?
Literature Review
Green tea leaf extract, can be found in most weight loss supplements as it is the key
ingredient in promoting weight loss in these supplements. The leaves used in green tea are
known the have to the uppermost concentration in regards to a dominant antioxidant known
as polyphenol [6]. Many of our bodies contain free radicals which are known to damage our
cells, increase the aging process as well as contributing to a few other health complications.
The free radical is an atom or a group of atoms, which have unpaired electrons creating an
unstable molecule. Due to the lack in stability caused by these free radicals, they can allow
cancerous cells to progress as well as other diseases such as cardiovascular disease. The
antioxidants in the green tea leaf extract are in fact known to minimise these free radicals,
even help the mute them so that no damage is being done to ones body [5]. Not only can this

polyphenol help prevent issues with our health, it is also known to boost ones metabolism
which is why it is such a commonly used ingredient in weight loss supplements [3]. Though
in these supplements, they also will contain caffeine allowing one to have more energy
throughout the day in order to begin leading a healthier lifestyle. Though the caffeine does
not contribute the fat burning, it only helps as an energy booster in order for an inactive
person to become more active throughout the day the polyphenol is known to be the key
ingredient that promotes the weight loss.
The polyphenol which is found in the green tea leaf extract is known as catechins, this
is what will increase the oxidation of fat in people consuming weight loss supplements.
Oxidation of fat simply means that the body is using the stored fat it usually carries, and is
creating energy from the fat generally this occurs with exercise, but products containing
green tea leaf extract can increase this process as well [4]. Research is being conducted in
order to determine the actual concentration of catechins found in these weight loss
supplements, the research is going to determine if the concentration of the fat burning
polyphenol is as dominant as certain companies promote. For this research I will be
conducting, I will be examining three different weight loss supplements that vary in brand
and price such as GNC products as well as CVS products. Now of course it is expected for
GNC to have the highest concentration of catechins as they tend to have more expensive
supplements compared to Walmart brands but do their products actually contain a higher
concentration of catechins? So by testing these supplements, I will be able to determine
whether or not GNC products do in fact have the same concentration of catechins in weight
loss supplements as a CVS brand. I hypothesise that the concentration of catechins in a GNC
brand will in fact contain the same concentration of catechins as a generic Walmart brand,
where Sam Bulger (Undergraduate Biochemist at McMaster University), hypothesise that the
GNC weight loss supplement is of a more pure form, therefore allowing it to have a higher

concentration of catechins. Catechins are going to be the main topic of interest in this paper,
and on being able to research both hypotheses in order to narrow down the actual
concentration of catechins in weight loss supplements.
As the rate of obesity in America is increasing, more of these people are
turning to weight loss supplements in order to improve their lifestyle. Some of these patients
believe that over the counter weight loss supplements will be the solution in order to lead a
healthier lifestyle, not knowing in order for the supplements to have any affect if any, they
must also lead a more active lifestyle in order for the supplement to start speeding up the
metabolism and burning fat [1]. It is suggested that green tea extract is the ingredient present
in the weight loss supplements that causes the metabolism as well as helping to burn fat. It is
also suggested that the caffeine in the weight loss supplements plays a small roll in
contributing to weight loss, as it provides more energy for a patient helping the become
more active. The active ingredient is the green tea extract, as mentions above is a polyphenol
known as catechins, which can be derived from the leaves of a carnellia sinensis plant
generally grown in East Asia. Green tea is known the have the highest polyphenol content,
which is why it gets extracted in order to use for different weight loss approaches [2].
Though the caffeine level is not as high in green tea as it would be in black tea. This is due to
black tea containing a higher concentration of fermented leaves that being said the lower
the concentration of fermented leaves, the higher the polyphenol concentration [7]. The
reason this was mentioned is to clarify that the different types of tea do not all have the same
effect on our body, as well are not all composed in the same manner. The beneficial assets
that are contributed to the intake of green tea, are mostly in relation to the polyphenol content
this is due to the polyphenol catechin having a high antioxidant potential. Though there are
many forms of catechins found in green tea, but the catechins being studied throughout this
research is referred to as Apigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) the reason this is being studied,

is due to being the catechins that promotes the burning of fat in weight loss supplements at a
higher rate [8]. Most of the supplements used for weight loss contain dried leaf tea in the
capsule, which is why a research study is being developed in order to determine the
concentration of the catechins within various supplements of different brands.
Entering the Conversation
The beliefs of weight loss medications vary among different groups of people, are
these supplements accurate in that they will be able to boost ones metabolism? Do they
contain a high concentration of catechins in order to burn body fat? Or are these supplements
inaccurate, and basically a placebo advertising false information in order for someone else
to believe that it will drastically allow them to lose weight rapidly.
I believe that the weight loss supplements can in fact contribute to weight loss, I
believe that the active ingredient catechins does in fact allow one to burn fat at a more rapid
pace as well to add on these supplements do contain caffeine which is known to allow a
more lazy person to have more energy throughout the day. That being said, just taking these
supplements will not instantly burn the excess fat right off if it were that easy everyone
would be taking these supplements. In order for the supplements to work, a lifestyle change
still needs to be met for instance adding in exercise during the day, as well as a change in
meal plans. There are so many different brands of these supplements, which can be
purchased from affordable stores such a Walmart or some people tend to go for the more
well-known brands from GNC expecting that the GNC supplements will have a more
positive weight loss outcome, opposed to a cheaper product being purchased from CVS. Is
that actually the case? Does GNC have a supplement that is actually able to burn fat at a
faster rate than a generic brand? The fat is able being burned due to the concentration of the
polyphenols found within the supplement, so does GNC in fact contain a higher concentration

of polyphenols thus allowing people to lose their desired weight. I hypothesise that the
concentration of the catechins within a GNC supplements is going to be approximately the
same as a weight loss supplement of some generic brand. I do believe that the active
ingredients within the supplements will differ slightly throughout different brands but the
main goal of these supplements is to burn fat, leading them with the same active fat burning
ingredient of green tea extract (containing the polyphenol catechins).
Speaking with my cousin Samantha Bulger, a Biochemist at Mcmaster University, she
began to hypothesise that the concentration of catechins will be more pure in a GNC
supplement which is why GNC remains a popular brand, as their products work at a faster
pace. So from her studies she came up with that hypothesis that will now be tested in order
to actually determine whether or not GNC does contain supplements of a more pure form
meaning higher concentrations of catechins. Samantha has been studying this science for
over four years, and has been able to figure out the process and reactions which take place in
our body when taking these weight loss supplements, whereas I have been in the field of
Chemistry where I will only test the general composition of the weight loss supplements
being tested.
Over the next month, a research study will be conducted in this study I will be
testing the concentration of catechins in three different weight loss supplements. I will being
testing a product from GNC called Meta-Ignite Inferno (one of the top weight loss
supplements sold from GNC), as well as Mega T Green Tea Dietary Supplement and a CVS
brand Green Tea Supplement (to have a wider variety of results). This will being done using
spectrophotometry this allows us to view the wavelengths going through the catechins
standard solution. With the wavelength we can then solve for the concentration of the
polyphenol, catechins, present in these supplements.

Conclusion
Not only is catechins known for the burning of fat, they are also known to be a potent
antioxidant. Several similarities between my sources are that green tea leaf extract is a
common ingredient in the weight loss supplements I will be testing. In the green tea leaf
extract is a polyphenol known as green tea leaf extract this is the key factor in the burning
of fat when these supplements are being used. Research will be done on how the catechins
are able to promote weight loss at a rapid rate. There were differences in my hypothesis on
the concentration of catechins within weight loss supplements, compared to my cousins
hypothesis which led to a research study to determine which hypothesis can be deemed
accurate. What I am contributing to the conversation is my opinion on the concentration of
catechins in weight loss supplements, as I will be choosing to research three different
supplements. I am testing for the concentration of catechins in the three supplements to
determine whether or not they all contain the same concentration which I hypothesise they
will. I have not considered that perhaps a more expensive supplement could in fact be more
pure which is what my cousin Sam Bulger has hypothesised, arguing against me for this
research paper. Though I still stand strong with my hypothesis stating that the concentration
of catechins in a GNC supplement will be equal to that of a generic brand there is always
the possibility that a GNC supplement does in fact contain a higher concentration of catechins
allowing people to burn fat at a faster rate compared to other weight loss supplements. A
contribution being added is being able to perform this research study being able to determine
the concentration of catechins in a desired weight loss supplement it can be of importance
to anyone interested in using these supplements in order to help them lose weight at a faster
rate. The information will allow potential customers interested in these supplements about
with brand contains the higher concentration of catechins which will allow them to know
which supplement will allow them to lose weight at a more rapid pace. This may not be of

importance to everyone, as dietary supplements are only just becoming a common method to
assist in weight loss. Though to those that seek a healthier lifestyle, and wanting to manage
their weight they will be able to gather important information, mainly stressing of the
ingredient green tea extract, as it is the cause for weight loss. With reviewing over several
articles in regards to catechins, I was able to develop a procedure which will now be used
whilst my research study is in progress. I was able to develop a plan of how I can contribute
to the research found above by determining the concentration of catechins in the dietary
supplements being talked about. A plan was developed in order to contribute to the research
of catechins, being able to determine eventually if all dietary supplements are in fact the
similar in composition. That being said, research is being done on the concentration of
catechins but despite knowledge of catechins being able to burn fat at a rapid pace, do these
supplements actually have any affect at all on our body? Do these supplements actually
contribute to weight loss, or are they just a placebo? In time this research will be taken
further, as I plan to test these three supplements on test subjects. These subjects will be given
the same exercise plan (they also must be around same weight, and active level), and these
supplements will be tested over 30 days with addition to a placebo. From this I can gather a
rough hypothesis on whether these weight loss supplements have any, if any effect on the
body.

Sources Cited
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