How can epigallocatechin gallate help me lose fat and gain muscle?

I tested green tea and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a catechin and flavanol found in green teas, for the underreported "off-label" benefits. Specifically, two related to body recomposition:

• EGCG increases glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT-4) recruitment to the surface of skeletal muscle cells. Of equal interest, it inhibits GLUT-4 recruitment in fat cells. In other words, it inhibits the storage of excess carbohydrates as body fat and preferentially diverts them to muscle cells.

• EGCG appears to increase programmed cell death (apoptosis) in mature fat cells. This means that these hard-to-kill fat cells commit suicide. The ease with which people regain fat is due to a certain "fat memory" (the size of fat cells decreases, but not the number), which makes EGCG a fascinating candidate for preventing the horrible rebounding most dieters experience.

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