Is green tea really 'nature's Ozempic'?

Q: I keep seeing people on TikTok calling green tea “nature's Ozempic.” Is there any truth to this?

Green tea has been used as a diet hack for centuries: as early as 2,000 years ago in ancient China, people used this beverage as a means of losing weight. In modern times, the drink has become a staple in diet books and meal plans.

Now, green tea has taken the inevitable path of any weight loss trick: it's becoming very popular on TikTok. Viral videos claim the drink helps with weight loss, even calling it “nature's Ozempic.” Some posts suggest drinking up to five cups a day.

Dr. Jyotsna Ghose, a doctor of obesity medicine at Johns Hopkins University, said that while there has been some research on green tea and weight, the evidence is unclear about how many pounds a mug (or several mugs) of tea can melt away.

The connection between green tea and hunger-increasing hormones

Several TikTok videos claim that green tea increases the production of GLP-1, a gut hormone that triggers the pancreas to release insulin after a meal. In turn, that insulin lowers blood sugar. GLP-1 also slows the rate at which food leaves the stomach, and it affects areas of the brain that control appetite.

Ozempic and drugs like it provide a compound that mimics GLP-1, helping people feel full faster. Many people stop experiencing strong food cravings.

Some researchers have theorized that green tea might stimulate GLP-1, partly because studies have found that green tea extract can lower blood sugar in rats with diabetes. But there have only been a few small studies in humans, and the results are inconclusive. One of the few clinical trials on the subject, which looked at 92 people with type 2 diabetes, suggested there was no significant difference in GLP-1 production between people who took green tea extract and those who took a placebo pill.

Experts said any effect green tea may have on GLP-1 is very small. Any food or beverage can slightly raise GLP-1 levels, Ghosh said. But GLP-1 levels in the bloodstream drop within minutes after eating or drinking something; that's one reason we feel hungry again, and that's why temporarily boosting the hormone doesn't guarantee weight loss.

In contrast, Ozempic and other similar drugs remain in the body for several days, and are far more potent than the natural hormone, making them uniquely good at suppressing appetite.

Does green tea help with weight loss?

Many claims about green tea and weight loss mention two components of the beverage: caffeine and antioxidants.

In theory, caffeine could slightly increase a person's metabolism. But it's unlikely that the effect would translate directly into significant weight loss, Ghosh said.

Green tea also contains compounds called polyphenols, which are antioxidants that may help protect cells from damage and reduce inflammation. Studies in animals and human cells have shown that these compounds may improve metabolism and reduce fat absorption from the intestine. But trials in humans have yielded mixed results.

There have also been several small studies looking at whether green tea is directly linked to weight loss. One review paper, which looked at more than a dozen such randomized controlled trials, found that people taking green tea extract often lost a little weight that was “unlikely to be clinically significant.” Other studies have also found that people drinking green tea lost a little weight, usually less than 4 pounds.

Rob Van Dam, MD, a professor of exercise and nutrition science at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health, said people who turn to green tea for weight loss “can't expect much of an effect from it, and certainly not on a par with medications like Ozempic.”

Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said focusing on a single food or drink ignores many other factors that play a role in weight loss. These include a person's comprehensive diet, exercise habits, genetics, stress, metabolic health and even the quality of sleep a person gets.

“If weight loss is your goal, focus on how you can improve your lifestyle,” he says. “Don't just focus on one food, drug, supplement or whatever.”