Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in substrate oxidation during exercise after consuming white and black tea in female athletes.
Materials and Methods: 10 female athletes (mean age 21.60±1.58 years, height 162.00±5.31 cm, weight 54.57±7.78 kg, BMI 20.70±1.96 kg/m2, fat percentage 27.53±3.91) consumed 500 ml of white tea and 500 ml of brewed black tea in a balanced crossover design, one week apart, in the fasting state. One hour later, a gas analyzer was connected to them; after a 10-minute rest, they performed increasing activity on a treadmill until fatigue. The rate of fat and carbohydrate oxidation during rest and activity was measured using indirect calorimetry, and calculations were performed with SPSS software at a significance level of P≥0.05.
Findings: The results of the dependent t-test showed that the amount of MFO (p = 0.01) and FATmax (p = 0.009) at rest and fat oxidation (p = 0.006) in the first stage of activity in the white tea consumption condition was significantly higher than that in the black tea consumption condition. No significant difference was observed in FATmax, time to exhaustion, and maximum oxygen consumption in the activity condition between the two conditions.
Conclusion: The results showed that the consumption of white tea, compared to black tea, one hour before exercise or at rest, increased fat oxidation, and in the rest condition, white tea had a greater increase in fat oxidation and FATmax than black tea.