Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles Health Sciences have demonstrated for the first time that black tea may promote weight loss and other health benefits by changing bacteria in the gut. In a study of mice, the scientists showed that black tea alters energy metabolism in the liver by changing gut metabolites.
The study revealed that both black and green tea changed the ratio of intestinal bacteria in the animals. The percentage of bacteria associated with obesity decreased, while bacteria associated with lean body mass increased.
During their experiments, researchers observed that in the mice that consumed either type of tea extract, there was less of the bacteria associated with obesity and more of the bacteria associated with lean body mass.
The findings suggest that the health benefits of both green tea and black tea go beyond their antioxidant benefits, and that both teas have a strong impact on the gut microbiome.