Abstract: Obesity, which is attributed to multiple factors, is a common nutritional and metabolic disorder. During the last decade, an increasing number of studies have shown that tea exerts anti-obesity effect and is capable of lowering the risk of obesity. The major components with anti-obesity effect in tea mainly involve catechins and caffeine. The anti-obesity effect of tea might be caused by increasing energy expenditure, regulating the lipid metabolism, decreasing appetite and so on. This review outlines recent findings on the anti-obesity effect of tea, candidate functional ingredients and the underlying mechanisms of the effect.

Key words: tea, catechins, caffeine, anti-obesity effect, mechanism