- Drinking green tea regularly may support metabolic health and reduce visceral fat.
- Swap sugary drinks for green tea to help maintain a calorie deficit needed for fat loss.
- To support visceral fat loss, exercise regularly, limit alcohol, manage stress and get enough sleep.
Not all body fat is the same—and the one you really need to pay attention to is visceral fat. “Visceral fat is the fat that’s stored deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your organs like your liver, stomach and intestines,” explains Lauren Manaker, M.S., RDN, LD. Unlike subcutaneous fat, which lies just beneath the skin, visceral fat isn’t visible—but it poses greater health risks, including a higher likelihood of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The good news? Visceral fat responds well to lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. The bad news? There’s no quick fix to magically melt it away overnight. That said, there are foods and beverages that may support visceral fat loss, such as tea. When we asked dietitians which tea is best to help lose visceral fat, their answer was unanimous: green tea. Keep reading to learn the science behind green tea and how it may support visceral fat loss.
Benefits of Green Tea
May Reduce Risk of Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. It’s defined as having three or more of the following conditions:
- Abdominal/central obesity (excess fat around the stomach area)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High blood sugar
- High triglycerides
- Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol
Addressing metabolic syndrome is crucial for your health, and often involves reducing visceral fat. Fortunately, some research suggests that drinking green tea may support its management. Green tea contains catechins, including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which may improve insulin sensitivity and reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and blood pressure. As metabolic syndrome improves, the body’s ability to mobilize and burn visceral fat also increases.
Although promising, not all research shows a strong link between green tea consumption and improvements in metabolic syndrome, so more studies are needed. Still, given its beneficial properties, regularly drinking it is a healthier alternative to sugary beverages or energy drinks.
May Support Weight Loss
Research on green tea and weight loss often examines overall body fat rather than visceral fat specifically. However, some evidence suggests that components of green tea—especially catechins and caffeine—may help reduce fat around the midsection, where visceral fat is more concentrated, explains Ali McGowan, M.S., RD, LDN.
“Green tea contains compounds called catechins, which may help improve how your body uses energy,” she adds. It’s thought that these compounds can affect fat metabolism, contributing to weight loss. For instance, some observational research suggests people who regularly drink green tea alongside other healthy lifestyle habits tend to see greater total fat loss compared to non-tea drinkers. Beyond this, most other studies focus on green tea extract—a highly concentrated source of catechins—rather than the brewed beverage, making it difficult to know the true effects of drinking green tea on weight loss and whether these effects would be clinically meaningful.
So, while it’s uncertain if green tea—particularly the brewed variety—directly promotes visceral fat loss, it may support fat loss by reducing calorie intake. If you typically drink calorie-dense, sugary drinks, swapping them for green tea can be an easy way to cut calories and sugar, which could support a calorie deficit needed for weight loss.
May Lower Inflammation
Multiple factors, including visceral fat and body weight, can drive inflammation in the body, which plays a role in the development of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Green tea catechins, such as EGCG, may help counter this process by boosting antioxidant levels in the body, McGowan explains.
For example, one study found that consuming 1 to 4 cups of green tea daily was linked with a decreased risk of heart disease, which the authors attributed to green tea’s anti-inflammatory properties.
Green tea’s potential role in reducing visceral fat may add to this benefit, since visceral fat is metabolically active and releases pro-inflammatory molecules. In turn, reducing visceral fat can improve inflammatory markers tied to metabolic syndrome and other chronic conditions.
May Reduce Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance occurs when the body’s cells become less sensitive to insulin, the hormone that helps move glucose into cells for energy. Although many factors contribute, excess visceral fat plays a major role. In visceral fat tissue, insulin resistance disrupts normal glucose removal and promotes chronic, low-grade inflammation, leading to abnormal fat distribution and impaired metabolism.,
Fortunately, green tea consumption may counter these effects. One meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in individuals with type 2 diabetes found that green tea consumption improved fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c and HOMA-IR levels—a marker of insulin resistance. By supporting blood sugar regulation and lowering inflammation, green tea may improve overall metabolic health, including the management of visceral fat.
Other Strategies to Lose Visceral Fat
Although green tea may help support visceral fat loss, the most effective approach is a balanced lifestyle rather than relying on one food, nutrient or activity. Here are some other strategies to help lose visceral fat:
- Strength-Train. Strength training helps your body build muscle, which supports a healthy metabolism and body composition. Having more muscle mass can slightly increase resting energy expenditure. “Over time, this makes it easier to tap into stored fat, including the deeper fat around your organs,” says McGowan.
- Do Cardio. Cardio exercise not only supports a healthy cardiovascular system, but it has also been linked to meaningful weight and fat loss. Combining this with strength training provides a well-rounded approach to fitness.
- Eat Enough Protein. Consuming enough protein promotes muscle growth and keeps you full, which can support a healthy body composition and prevent overeating. Some research has also linked high-protein diets with a reduction in visceral fat, though higher-quality studies are still needed.,
- Get Enough Sleep. “Poor sleep can increase stress hormones like cortisol, which may encourage visceral fat storage,” notes Manaker. Additionally, inadequate sleep can affect appetite, which may lead to poorer food choices and contribute to the accumulation of visceral fat over time.
- Manage Stress. Stress-management techniques, such as journaling, movement, deep breathing, yoga and meditation, may contribute to reducing visceral fat. “Chronic stress may lead to higher cortisol levels, which are linked to visceral fat,” explains Manaker.
- Skip the Added Sugar. Green tea is a great beverage choice, but adding excess sugar to it may negate some of its health benefits, warns Manaker.
- Limit or Avoid Alcohol. Drinking alcohol too often or in excess is associated with greater visceral fat storage and poorer metabolic health.
Our Expert Take
There’s no single magic fix to melting away visceral fat, but adding green tea to your daily routine may give you an extra edge. Thanks to its antioxidant-rich compounds, green tea shows promise in supporting metabolic health, including improving insulin resistance and reducing visceral fat—though more research is needed to confirm its exact role. The good news? Green tea is a safe, health-supporting beverage that most people can enjoy daily. When paired with a well-rounded lifestyle, this can be a great tool to help reduce visceral fat.
