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EGCG is a very strong antioxidant, whose positive effects on health extend to many areas. It can waive the rules of the game the moment you add it to your diet with green tea. EGCG and green tea extract are rightly among the most popular supplements. They attribute to various effects on human health from fat burning to cancer treatment. EGCG is one of the factors behind the stimulating effects of green tea and its ability to induce the right work flow.
Overall, it improves brain activity, alpha, beta and theta waves, which evoke a relaxed feeling without sedation – that is, activated vigilance. By combining a wide range of effects, EGCG has neuroprotective effects and thus can be significantly helpful in the treatment of these diseases.
Understanding EGCG
What is EGCG?
Epigalotechine gallate, or EGCG, is probably the most effective compound in tea. This substance from the group of polyphenolic flavonoids is mostly and in the biggest extent found in green tea. However, you can also find EGCG in other types of tea, including black tea. Unfortunately, the amount of EGCG is decreasing rapidly with the increased level of oxidation, i.e. the rate of tea processing.
EGCG's Positive Effects on Health
EGCG is a very strong antioxidant, whose positive effects on health extend to many areas. It is also important to mention its epigenetic effects which is receiving last years more attention. In simple terms, it can turn on and off genes and affect their expression to our health.
Currently, EGCG and green tea extract are rightly among the most popular supplements. They attribute to various effects on human health from fat burning to cancer treatment. But the real effect would depend on your lifestyle, genetic settings and health status.
Effects of EGCG
The list of effects below are based on EGCG and green tea extract -not green tea in general. Take a look at this article if you would like to learn more about green tea and its benefits. EGCG can waive the rules of the game the moment you add it to your diet with green tea.
Neurocognitive and Neuroprotective Effects
EGCG is one of the factors behind the stimulating effects of green tea and its ability to induce the right work flow. Overall, it improves brain activity, alpha, beta and theta waves, which evoke a relaxed feeling without sedation – that is, activated vigilance. In this state, you will find it easier to get into the required flow, you will not be overstimulated and your energy will last for a longer time.
EGCG has positive effects in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, or dementia caused by HIV. By combining a wide range of effects, EGCG has neuroprotective effects and thus can be significantly helpful in the treatment of these diseases.
Support for Fat Burning and Performance
EGCG affects fat metabolism and inhibits fat cell differentiation and increases lipase – an enzyme that use energy from fats so it is not only sent to adipose tissue for storage. At the same time, it indirectly increases the amount of norepinephrine, which also leads to faster fat breakdown. The effects on weight loss and body fat loss are noticeable with long-term supplementation with higher doses of ECGC (12 weeks at doses over 400 mg). In addition, the simultaneous supply of caffeine helps the whole process – which does not even have to be from coffee or pure supplementation, but by adding high quality green tea.
EGCG delays exhaustion – it reduces the level of lactic acid in the blood and, conversely, increases the glycogen content in the liver and muscles. Delayed exhaustion leads to higher training load, better adaptation to training and overall better progress in sports.
Antibiotic and Anticancer Effects
Clinical studies have shown that EGCG treatment inhibits the occurrence and proliferation of tumor cells in various organs (liver, stomach, skin, lungs, mammary gland and colon). EGCG has great potential in cancer prevention due to its safety, low cost and bioavailability. Again, however, it can be concluded that for stronger effects in the fight against cancer, it is better to combine all catechins as an extract from green tea, or to add green tea as a supplement to the treatment. EGCG alone has weaker effects.
Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Effects
EGCG has an antioxidant effect, alleviates cell damage by reducing the inflammatory response, lipid peroxidation and nitrous oxide radicals (oxidative stress), and helps regulate immunity.
Impact on Longevity
here are a number of factors that play a role in life expectancy – specifically in the speed of its shortening. Our diet and how often we eat, the state of our metabolism, the genetic setting, the activity of certain pathways (mTOR, etc.), but also oxidative stress and its effects play a big role. It is the EGCG that has the effect of prolonging and improving the quality of life through several mechanisms. By scavenging free radicals and mitigating the effects of oxidative stress, slowing down telomere shortening (through upregulation of TERT).
Who Should Use EGCG?
EGCG can be useful for almost anyone – as well as drinking green tea.
However, it is especially suitable:
- Before work to support cognitive performance and increase brain function.
- In neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s dementia.
- In an effort to reduce body fat.
- In common diseases as a natural antibiotic support.
- To reduce physical inflammation.
- In the treatment of some autoimmune diseases.
- If you have a cancer in family, use as a prevention.
- During cancer to destroy cancer cells (helps to increase the effect of conventional treatment).
How to Use EGCG
Effective Dosage and Bioavailability
The effective dose of EGCG is in the range of 200-400 mg.
The bioavailability of EGCG is relatively low and needs to be supplemented cleverly so that the required amount enters the body and you can feel its effect. In general, it is recommended to drink EGCG only with filtered water (or other drinks made from filtered water) in order to avoid the intake of substances that degrade it and further reduce its availability.
Combining EGCG with Other Substances
The bioavailability and effectiveness of EGCG can be increased by:
- taking on an empty stomach
- biopiperine – black pepper extract increases the bioavailability of many substances, including curcumin and resveratrol
- taking with vitamin C – which reduces its oxidation
- supplementation together with fats – ideally with omega 3 or fish oil
- by drinking green tea – you should ideally supplement each substance with its related integral form. So the most suitable would be matcha, which also contains whole tea leaves
EGCG can and can often be combined with other substances, such as:
- Curcumin – together they reduce cancer progression and body inflammation – this combination is suitable in many cases of intestinal inflammation and autoimmune diseases.
- Omega 3 or fish oil – increases the bioavailability of EGCG.
Factors Affecting EGCG Content in Tea
If you still prefer to consume tea in purpose of EGCG supplementation, which is perfectly fine, be sure that the tea you drink is high quality and therefore a higher catechin content can be assumed.
The amount of EGCG in green tea varies depending on other factors:
- leaching duration and water temperature
- storage – exposure to light and air
Negative Effects and Contradictions
Safety of EGCG
EGCG is a safe supplement, the usual dose is between 200 and 400 mg and according to many studies, 400 mg is the recommended upper limit. However, this limit is for just EGCG itself and you will most likely not find EGCG in supplements alone, so in some cases it is possible to double it twice.
Possible Side Effects
The following side effects may occur with overdosing:
Can cause nausea – but it depends on your tolerance and individual settings (use of curcumin, biopiperine etc.).
If the dose is too high, there may be a risk of liver and kidney toxicity. This risk does not apply to everyone, but if you want to be sure, lower doses up to 400 mg may be recommended and the body’s response monitored in the long term.
Due to their bioavailability, it is not recommended to take supplements with magnesium at the same time.
Dosage Recommendations
You can usually get supplements that contain only green tea powder, which is not even a concentrate. Such a supplement is not necessarily bad, but if you are looking for an extract to treat more serious diseases, you would waste money on something you may prefer to prepare at home as an infusion and it would have a much higher value.
If you want to use EGCG to:
- prevention – take EGCG in the morning
- Fat burning enhancement – take EGCG in the morning and before sports performance
- Cognitive performance support – take EGCG together with green tea in the morning on an empty stomach.
In these cases, take 200-400 mg per day and ideally drink a dose of green tea and supplement with omega 3.
If you want to take EGCG to solve more serious problems, such as autoimmune diseases – take EGCG in two to three doses during the day, depending on the nature of the problem, use it with curcumin, quercetin, boswelli, omega 3, etc. in an amount of 400-600 mg per day.