The Miracle Weight-Loss Tea: Oolong Is The One You Need To Know

Every few years or so, a miracle tea hits the market that is praised for its ability to burn body fat and help you lose weight. Green tea has garnered plenty of attention for that. Oolong tea, however, has been consumed for its other benefits for centuries. It is a staple in the Chinese diet for not only weight loss, but other health-boosting benefits as well.

Oolong, which originated during the Tang Dynasty, was the first tea to be used as a tribute tea, which means it was selected by the Emperor as a gift to the royal court. It was lauded for its taste and health properties, which some called "near magical."

Oolong tea has been linked to regulating body temperature, boosting metabolism, and providing energy. Since it is rich in polyphenols, though, oolong is also successful at blocking the production of fat in the body and increasing metabolic rate.

Sound too good to be true? Well, believe it — and read on for all of the ways oolong tea can be your best beverage friend on the journey to health and weight-loss.

An unbalanced blood sugar level is one of the main causes of unhealthy food cravings. Oolong tea helps to balance blood sugar levels to reduce sugary cravings, which can aid in weight loss and combat type 2 diabetes.

Oolong tea can boost your metabolism by 10 percent or more for up to two hours after drinking. This is thanks to the catechins found in the tea  that can increase the body's fat-burning properties.

Epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG — an antioxidant found in oolong tea — is a powerful nutrient that is thought to help treat cancer, endometriosis, HIV, muscular atrophy, and chronic fatigue syndrome. EGCG is also found other tea types, such as green and black.

Get that kettle ready. Oolong tea is rich in polyphenols, which work to block the enzymes that produce fat. The compound also has the ability to help increase energy expenditure and inhibit the absorption of cholesterol and dietary fat by almost 50 percent.

The younger the tea leaves, the more caffeine they contain. Oolong is usually made from mature leaves, giving it less caffeine than black tea, but it still has some. The Journal of Food and Science conducted a study on several brands of oolong tea, and the average amount of caffeine was 37 mg per eight-ounce cup compared to other teas.

The amount of cholesterol in your bloodstream is important to your health because of its role in a number of cardiovascular diseases. When consumed regularly, oolong has been known to help reduce the absorption of LDL cholesterol, thus lowering "bad" cholesterol levels.

Studies have shown that oolong tea is effective in preventing obesity even when following a high-fat diet. The antioxidants in oolong are deposited in the upper arm and tummy area, so this is the tea you want to drink if targeting those areas is a focus.