Lindsay Bulger

Polyphenol: Catechins and Weight Loss Supplements

Weight loss supplements known to burn fat at a faster rate, due to increasing ones
metabolism and increasing their overall energy throughout the day. Weight loss supplements
are becoming more prevalent as people believe they will help them to lose weight more
rapidly than just changing their eating habits as well as their exercise plans. As well since the
obesity rate is increasing rather drastically throughout the United States, non-prescription
pills are becoming more common as they are taken in order to contribute to a healthier
lifestyle. Just taking these weight loss supplements will not instantly burn fat if one
continues to live an idle lifestyle, these supplements require a person to work out and live a
more active lifestyle this is what causes the fat to burn more rapidly opposed to someone
who is not taking these supplements. As a result, what is in the supplement that is the cause
of helping one to lose weight so quickly?
Green tea leaf extract, can be found in most weight loss supplements as it is the key

Commented [LB1]: Wow, I never really thought to ask

myself the question you have proposed. You have
opened with a very thought-jogging introduction. I am
quite invested and rather curious as to what research
you have found to address this. GB

ingredient in promoting weight loss in these supplements. The leaves used in green tea are
known the have to the uppermost concentration in regards to a dominant antioxidant known
as polyphenol. Many of our bodies contain free radicals which are known to damage our
cells, increase the aging process as well as contributing to a few other health
complications. The antioxidants in the green tea leaf extract are in fact known to minimise
these free radicals, even help the mute them so that no damage is being done to ones
body. Not only can this polyphenol help prevent issues with our health, it is also known to
boost ones metabolism which is why it is such a commonly used ingredient in weight loss
supplements. Though in these supplements, they also will contain caffeine allowing one to
have more energy throughout the day in order to begin leading a healthier lifestyle. Though

Commented [LB2]: As for me, someone who is not well

verses in this field of study, could you explain to the
audience what a free radical is. It was mentioned a few
times and tends to hinder my comprehension of this
paragraph. Are there different types of these "things"?
GB

the caffeine does not contribute the fat burning, it only helps as an energy booster in order for
an inactive person to become more active throughout the day the polyphenol is known to be
the key ingredient that promotes the weight loss.
The polyphenol which is found in the green tea leaf extract is known as catechins, this is what
will increase the oxidation of fat in people consuming weight loss supplements. Research is
being conducted in order to determine the actual concentration of catechins found in these

Commented [LB3]: Maybe explain this process. Not

many know what this means. You could go above and
beyond by finding an image of this process to serve as
a visual for the reader.
-KMM

weight loss supplements, the research is going to determine if the concentration of the fat
burning polyphenol is as dominant as certain companies promote. For this research I will be
conducting, I will be examining three different weight loss supplements that vary in brand
and price such as GNC products as well as Walmart products. Now of course it is expected
for GNC to have the highest concentration of catechins as they tend to have more expensive
supplements compared to Walmart brands but do their products actually contain a higher
concentration of catechins? So by testing these supplements, I will be able to determine
whether or not GNC products do in fact have the same concentration of catechins in weight
loss supplements as a Walmart brand. I hypothesise that the concentration of catechins in a
GNC brand will in fact contain the same concentration of catechins as a generic Walmart
brand, where Sam Bulger (Undergraduate Biochemist at McMaster University), hypothesise
that the GNC weight loss supplement is of a more pure form, therefore allowing it to have a
higher concentration of catechins. Catechins are going to be the main topic of interest in this
paper, and on being able to research both hypotheses in order to narrow down the actual
concentration of catechins in weight loss supplements.
As the rate of obesity in America is increasing, more of these people are turning to
weight loss supplements in order to improve their lifestyle. Some of these patients believe
that over the counter weight loss supplements will be the solution in order to lead a healthier
lifestyle, not knowing in order for the supplements to have any affect if any, they must also

Commented [LB4]: Good job preparing the audience

for your contributions to the research! However, I know
we haven't gotten that far in the paper yet to view your
results but you only tend to mention two of your
supplemental brands. Maybe give a glimpse to what we
have to look out for by introducing all three here. GB

lead a more active lifestyle in order for the supplement to start speeding up the metabolism
and burning fat. It is suggested that green tea extract is the ingredient present in the weight
loss supplements that causes the metabolism as well as helping to burn fat. It is also
suggested that the caffeine in the weight loss supplements plays a small roll in contributing to
weight loss, as it provides more energy for a patient helping the become more active. The
active ingredient is the green tea extract, as mentions above is a polyphenol known as
catechins, which can be derived from the leaves of a carnellia sinensis plant generally
grown in East Asia. Green tea is known the have the highest polyphenol content, which is
why it gets extracted in order to use for different weight loss approaches. Though the
caffeine level is not as high in green tea as it would be in black tea. This is due to black tea
containing a higher concentration of fermented leaves that being said the lower the

Commented [LB5]: Not sure where you are going with

Black Tea. Emphasize the significance of Black Tea in
your experiment. Are you comparing black tea with
green tea?
-KMM

concentration of fermented leaves, the higher the polyphenol concentration. The beneficial
assets that are contributed to the intake of green tea, are mostly in relation to the polyphenol
content this is due to the polyphenol catechin having a high antioxidant potential. Though
there are many forms of catechins found in green tea, but the catechins being studied
throughout this research is referred to as Apigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) the reason this is
being studied, is due to being the catechins that promotes the burning of fat in weight loss
supplements at a higher rate. Most of the supplements used for weight loss contain dried leaf
tea in the capsule, which is why a research study is being developed in order to determine the
concentration of the catechins within various supplements of different brands.
The beliefs of weight loss medications vary among different groups of people, are these
supplements accurate in that they will be able to boost ones metabolism? Do they contain a
high concentration of catechins in order to burn body fat? Or are these supplements
inaccurate, and basically a placebo advertising false information in order for someone else
to believe that it will drastically allow them to lose weight rapidly.

Commented [LB6]: The information you are providing

is spectacular but as far as flow of your paper, its a bit
hard to follow. I would recommend you insert the
section headers to the corresponding section ex. Intro,
Lit Review, etc. This will allow the reader to better break
down the paper and better retain the information given.
GB

I believe that the weight loss supplements can in fact contribute to weight loss, I believe that
the active ingredient catechins does in fact allow one to burn fat at a more rapid pace as
well to add on these supplements do contain caffeine which is known to allow a more lazy
person to have more energy throughout the day. That being said, just taking these
supplements will not instantly burn the excess fat right off if it were that easy everyone
would be taking these supplements. In order for the supplements to work, a lifestyle change
still needs to be met for instance adding in exercise during the day, as well as a change in
meal plans. There are so many different brands of these supplements, which can be
purchased from affordable stores such a Walmart or some people tend to go for the more
well-known brands from GNC expecting that the GNC supplements will have a more
positive weight loss outcome, opposed to a cheaper product being purchased from
Walmart. Is that actually the case? Does GNC have a supplement that is actually able to burn
fat at a faster rate than a generic brand? The fat is able being burned due to the concentration
of the polyphenols found within the supplement, so does GNC in fact contain a higher
concentration of polyphenols thus allowing people to lose their desired weight. I
hypothesise that the concentration of the catechins within a GNC supplements is going to be
approximately the same as a weight loss supplement of some generic brand. I do believe that
the active ingredients within the supplements will differ slightly throughout different brands
but the main goal of these supplements is to burn fat, leading them with the same active fat
burning ingredient of green tea extract (containing the polyphenol catechins). Speaking
with my cousin, a Biochemist at Mcmaster University, she began to hypothesise that the
concentration of catechins will be more pure in a GNC supplement which is why GNC
remains a popular brand, as their products work at a faster pace. So from her studies she
came up with that hypothesis that will now be tested in order to actually determine whether
or not GNC does contain supplements of a more pure form meaning higher concentrations

Commented [LB7]: Give a background about your

cousin; including her name ect. This would flow better if
it was another paragraph. Overall, this is a great way to
get another opinion on your topic of research.
-KMM

of catechins. Over the next month, a research study will be conducted in this study I will be
testing the concentration of catechins in three different weight loss supplements. I will being
testing a product from GNC, and two generic brands (to have a wider variety of results). This
will being done using spectrophotometry this allows us to view the wavelengths going
through the catechins standard solution. With the wavelength we can then solve for the
concentration of the polyphenol, catechins, present in these supplements.
The research being done is on the polyphenol known as catechins, as mentioned above this

Commented [LB8]: In addition to Katie's comment. Add

a photograph of the three brands that you conducted
your research on. Since there wasn't much information
provided on the 2 generic brands as far as name and
places sold, a picture may help the reader better
visualize the differences. In all, I can't say enough how
educational your paper is. Just a few marginal error
corrections and you should be good to go! GB
Commented [LB9]: I like how you explained what this
was. You could even include a picture of this for a visual
for the reader. Also, maybe explain the concept of
wavelengths going through a solution. KMM

is the key ingredient in weight loss supplements that contributes to the burning of fat at a
more rapid pace. Not only is catechins known for the burning of fat, they are also known to
be a potent antioxidant. Several similarities between my sources are that green tea leaf
extract is a common ingredient in the weight loss supplements I will be testing. In the green
tea leaf extract is a polyphenol known as green tea leaf extract this is the key factor in the
burning of fat when these supplements are being used. Research will be done on how the
catechins are able to promote weight loss at a rapid rate. There were differences in my
hypothesis on the concentration of catechins within weight loss supplements, compared to my
cousins hypothesis which led to a research study to determine which hypothesis can be
deemed accurate. What I am contributing to the conversation is my opinion on the
concentration of catechins in weight loss supplements, as I will be choosing to research three
different supplements. I am testing for the concentration of catechins in the three
supplements to determine whether or not they all contain the same concentration which I
hypothesise they will. I have not considered that perhaps a more expensive supplement could
in fact be more pure which is what my cousin Sam Bulger has hypothesised, arguing
against me for this research paper. Though I still stand strong with my hypothesis stating that
the concentration of catechins in a GNC supplement will be equal to that of a generic brand
there is always the possibility that a GNC supplement does in fact contain a higher

Commented [LB10]: This sentence I feel has been

used alot in the essay. It is good to repeat since this is a
hard topic to understand..but, maybe take out one of the
sentences explaining what catechins are. KMM

concentration of catechins allowing people to burn fat at a faster rate compared to other
weight loss supplements. A contribution being added is being able to perform this research
study being able to determine the concentration of catechins in a desired weight loss
supplement it can be of importance to anyone interested in using these supplements in order
to help them lose weight at a faster rate. The information will allow potential customers
interested in these supplements about with brand contains the higher concentration of
catechins which will allow them to know which supplement will allow them to lose weight
at a more rapid pace. This may not be of importance to everyone, as dietary supplements are
only just becoming a common method to assist in weight loss. Though to those that seek a
healthier lifestyle, and wanting to manage their weight they will be able to gather important
information on what these supplements are composed of and what these supplements are
composed of mainly stressing of the ingredient green tea extract, as it is the cause for
weight loss. With reviewing over several articles in regards to catechins, I was able to
develop a procedure which will now be used whilst my research study is in progress. I was
able to develop a plan of how I can contribute to the research found above by determining the
concentration of catechins in the dietary supplements being talked about. A plan was
developed in order to contribute to the research of catechins, being able to determine
eventually if all dietary supplements are in fact the similar in composition. That being said,
research is being done on the concentration of catechins but despite knowledge of catechins
being able to burn fat at a rapid pace, do these supplements actually have any affect at all on
our body? Do these supplements actually contribute to weight loss, or are they just a
placebo? In time this research will be taken further, as I plan to test these three supplements
on test subjects. These subjects will be given the same exercise plan (they also must be
around same weight, and active level), and these supplements will be tested over 30 days

Commented [LB11]: Found a repeated phrase. :)

Overall, this is a very interesting topic and it is well
thought out. Could you list out the procedures step by
step, maybe in bullets after one of the paragraphs?
-KMM

with addition to a placebo. From this I can gather a rough hypothesis on whether these
weight loss supplements have any, if any effect on the body.

Commented [LB12]: Don't forget your in-text citations

and citations page at the end! This could cost you a lot
of points. Overall, very interesting topic. Let me know
how this goes!
-KMM