A growing body of evidence is suggesting that green tea isn’t just good for your health—it could also be good for your figure.

Researchers at Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences have conducted a study involving mice which they say suggests that green tea can contribute to weight loss.

In the experiment, mice that were fed a green tea extract and that exercised frequently experienced a significant reduction in body fat, compared to other mice that didn’t.  They also experienced a large improvement in their overall health. In the 16 week study, this group of mice showed an average body mass loss of 27.1% and an abdominal fat loss of 36.6%.

The scientists think that the study suggests green tea could have a beneficial effect on weight loss—although much more intensive research on humans is needed before this is definitively proved. Still, the study shows the  great potential that green tea has when it comes to aiding weight loss.

Green tea has been used as a slimming aid for centuries across the eastern hemisphere. In China, the possible health benefits of drinking green tea have been recognised for thousands of years. It’s encouraging to see that science is beginning to prove there is truth behind the mythology of green tea’s amazing health effects.