The Effect of Green Tea Supplementation on Overweight and Obese Women of Reproductive Age (18–50 Years): A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age pose substantial health risks. Green tea (GT), rich in catechins such as epigallocatechin-3- gallate, has been proposed as an adjunct to lifestyle interventions for weight management. However, evidence across studies, mainly due to variability in dose, formulation and co-interventions, remains inconclusive. Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the impact of GT supplementation on anthropometric and metabolic outcomes in women of reproductive age 18–50 years who suffer from overweight/obesity. Methodology: A systematic search (2010 onwards) of PubMed and MEDLINE (Ovid) identified 663 records; after removing 286 duplicates, 377 titles/abstracts were screened and 50 full texts assessed. Seven randomised controlled trials (RCTs) met the inclusion criteria (women 18–50 years, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²; GT tablets/capsules/powder; 4–12 weeks). The primary outcomes were changes in body weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC); secondary outcomes included lipid profile, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool. Results: Across the seven RCTs (n = 255), GT supplementation was associated with modest reductions in body weight (−1.8 to −5.7 kg) and BMI (−0.7 to −1.8 kg/m²), with some evidence of decreases in WC. Effects were most pronounced when supplementation was combined with structured exercise. Trials prescribing isocaloric, energy-restricted diets to both groups often showed minimal between-group differences, underscoring the primacy of energy deficit. Effects on triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein were heterogeneous and often aligned with training rather than GT itself; fasting glucose generally showed no meaningful between-group differences. Conclusion: GT supplementation appears to provide small but potentially meaningful benefits for weight management in overweight and obese women of reproductive age, particularly when combined with exercise. However, heterogeneity in dose, intervention design and study quality limits definitive conclusions. Larger, longer-term RCTs are required to determine whether these short-term benefits translate into sustained improvements in anthropometric and cardiometabolic health.