I got a note recently from a reader asking about Wu-Yi Tea:

“What’s up with this Wu-Yi Tea?  I see it everywhere online!  Does it work?”

Wu-Yi tea is the same as another tea on the market, Wu-Long…which is a marketing spin on the word Oolong, a tea that you have probably heard of before.  The claims made by these teas are based on one Japanese study where energy expenditure was measured for 120 minutes after consumption of both oolong and green teas.  Oolong increased energy expenditure in the subjects by 10% as opposed to 4% for the green tea.

However, there are two major flaws in this study:

• 120 minutes is not a significant amount of time

• There was no measurement of fat loss specifically

So there may be some benefit to consuming oolong tea, but it would require several more controlled studies before I would recommend it as a supplement you should include in your arsenal.

Also, oolong tea is widely available in supermarkets and specialty stores – so if you choose to use oolong tea, you don’t have to pay the outrageous prices they are charging online.