EGCg Green Tea Extract by Protocol for Life Balance

This suits adults who want the catechins of green tea in a measured capsule with very little caffeine, often people who do not drink several cups a day. Interest usually centers on antioxidant support and on metabolic markers such as LDL Cholesterol, where the effects seen with green tea catechins are small. It is not a good fit if you have liver disease or low iron stores, or are pregnant or nursing, and it is not a shortcut to weight loss.

Each capsule contains 400 mg of green tea leaf extract (Camellia sinensis) standardized to at least 80% total catechins and 50% EGCg, which the label gives as 200 mg of EGCg, plus 50 mg of decaffeinated green tea leaf. EGCg (epigallocatechin gallate) is the most abundant and most studied catechin in green tea. Catechins are polyphenols that neutralize reactive oxygen species and influence how cells handle fat and glucose. The label states up to 4 mg of naturally occurring caffeine per capsule.

The label directs 1 capsule daily with a meal, and says not to take it on an empty stomach or exceed the recommended dose. This matters: concentrated green tea extract taken while fasting produces much higher blood levels of EGCg, and that is the setting in which liver problems have been reported. Count the EGCg in any other product you use, such as a weight-management formula, toward your daily total.

Rare cases of liver injury have been linked to green tea extracts. The label says to consult a physician if you have liver disease; stop and see your clinician if you notice dark urine, yellowing of the skin or eyes or abdominal pain, and if you use it for months, checking ALT and AST is reasonable. The label also warns that anticoagulant medications and beta-lactam antibiotics may interact with green tea extract, and that it may decrease absorption of iron and folic acid, so keep it apart from iron if your Ferritin is low. Consult your physician if you are pregnant or nursing or take any medication.

Do not expect to feel anything. Any change in LDL Cholesterol is small and takes 8–12 weeks to show on a retest, and the evidence for weight loss is weak. The label puts one capsule at about 2–3 cups of green tea. Brewed tea delivers its catechins in smaller amounts through the day and has a long record of safe use; the capsule's advantage is a known 200 mg of EGCg with very little caffeine.