It’s official: Green tea helps you lose weight

Drinking green tea will help you shed the pounds, according to a landmark new study.

It’s time to embrace the fishy smell as it emerged the magical tea can help you lose weight if drunk with every meal.

Previously hailed for its high concentration of antioxidants, a new study has shown how you can gorge on carbs and still get away with it, particularly for anyone aged between 19 and 28.

The study found the green tea extract decreased starch digestion – a common carbohydrate found in pasta and potatoes.

Researchers in Poland made 28 participants fast for 12 hours and then eat a bowl of cornflakes. They were then given a wafer – half of which contained green tea extract equivalent to drinking several cups, the other half didn’t.

The report said: “This plant extract is widely available, inexpensive and well tolerated, so it has potential utility for weight control.”

Dietician Alison Hornby has previously said: “In the Far East, green tea has been used as a treatment for a variety of conditions ranging from arthritis to weight loss, as well as a preventative measure for diseases such as cancer.”

It is still unclear how much green tea you’ll have to drink. Other previous studies have said you will only lose weight if you drink at least seven cups a day.

Researchers at Anglia Ruskin said if combined with exercise, seven cups of decaffeinated green tea will help you lose weight.

But the jury is still out, as other studies say the caffeine involved in green tea is what helps you shed fat.

A 2012 study found no link between green tea and weight loss.