Cold-brewed yellow tea showed stronger inhibition on high-fat diet induced mice obesity than that hot brewed, due to higher non-ester catechins content based on metabolomic profile.

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of Mogan large-leaf yellow tea (MG-LYT) on preventing obesity. It was found that cold-brewed yellow tea has stronger anti-obesity effects in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice than hot-brewed tea, due to its higher content of non-esterified catechins, as shown by metabolomic and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Notably, epigallocatechin (EGC), a key non-ester catechin, likely enhances pancreatic lipase inhibition through allosteric modulation, which explains the greater effectiveness of cold-brewed tea. Dietary supplementation with cold-brewed MG-LYT significantly reduced HFD-induced obesity and related metabolic disorders in mice, including hepatic steatosis, dyslipidemia, and adipose accumulation, while elevating fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels and modulating gut microbiota composition. These findings suggest that cold-brewed yellow tea may be a beneficial daily beverage for preventing obesity, improving metabolic health, and regulating gut microbiota.