A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Study to Assess the Efficacy of a Tea Catechin Sports Drink for Enhancing Exercise-Induced Fat Loss

The study will include two screening/baseline visits and six treatment visits over 12 weeks. During the treatment phase of the study, subjects will be instructed to consume one bottle of sports drink (500 ml) daily (total consumption of tea catechins in the active group = 540 mg/d). Subjects will be asked to maintain a constant energy intake throughout the study period. Three-day diet records will be collected and analyzed at weeks 0, 6, and 12 to evaluate consistency of energy intake.

All subjects will engage in an exercise program with a goal of maintaining 180 min/week of low- to moderate-intensity exercise (e.g., walking and other aerobic activities, 4-6 days per week). Three of the weekly exercise sessions will be supervised and 1-3 will be unsupervised. Subjects will be asked to wear a pedometer and record their daily physical activity (steps) each night in a physical activity diary. Diaries will be collected at each visit and used to evaluate exercise compliance. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and computed tomography (CT) scans will be performed at baseline (week 0) and at the end of the treatment (week 12). Additionally, body weight and abdominal circumference will be assessed at every clinic visit during the study. It is anticipated that subjects will expend 1000-1800 kcal per week above their baseline level in deliberate physical activity. Accordingly, the control group is expected to lose 1.5 to 2.8 kg of body fat during the 12-week treatment period