Hyleys Slim Tea Review: The Ultimate Guide
The appeal of slimming teas is easy to see: What could be better than shedding unwanted body fat simply by sipping tea? Weight-loss teas have grown in the last few years, with stars and influencers singing their accolades on Instagram.
Hyleys Slim Tea is one of the more popular weight-loss teas, with over 18,000 reviews on Amazon. Let’s take a deeper look at this tea, and see if this product really works.
What is Hyleys Slim Tea?
Hyleys Slim Tea is marketed as a weight-loss tea that boosts your metabolism and reduces unwanted body fat.
What are the pros and cons of Hyleys Slim Tea? More details are below, but at a glance:
Pros
- Contains health-boosting antioxidants
- Potential weight-loss support from caffeine
- May boost energy and cognitive function due to caffeine levels
- The laxative effect can temporarily reduce constipation-caused bloating
Cons
- Expensive
- Risk of diarrhea and frequent urination
- Short-term benefits
- Senna leaves can cause health issues if used long-term
- Potential negative side-effects from caffeine
What Are Hyleys Slim Tea’s Claims?
On its website, Hyleys Slim Tea claims that it helps you “progressively lose weight by maintaining normal metabolism of fat and carbohydrates”, “promotes healthy digestion and works as a gentle laxative for occasional irregularity”, and that it contains “30 mg of catechins and 2.3 mg of L-Theanine per serving.”
Notably, it mentions that “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.”
To see if these claims stack up, let’s look at Hyleys Slim Tea’s ingredient list.
Hyleys Slim Tea Ingredient
Hyleys Slim Tea has three main ingredients: Green tea, senna leaves, and natural fruit flavor.
Green Tea
Green tea is a very healthy beverage bursting with antioxidants. Antioxidants have become a buzzword because of their amazing ability to fight oxidative stress in the body.
Oxidative stress leads to numerous non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, different types of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. Antioxidants are considered health superheroes because they fight free radicals in the body, preventing cancer and reducing inflammation.
Green tea contains more antioxidants than comparison with any other tea. It has high levels of active catechins and epigallocatechin gallate which act as powerful antioxidants that fight cancer and inflammation. Hyleys Slim Tea claims to have 30 mg of catechins and 2.3 mg of L-Theanine per serving, although this has not been substantiated.
Notably, green tea also contains oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is an organic compound called an antinutrient. This anti-nutrient binds to minerals in your digestive system and prevents your body from absorbing them. For instance, many leafy greens are high in both calcium and oxalic acid, which prevents high levels of calcium from being absorbed into the body. It’s important to know that high levels of green tea may interfere with nutrient absorption.
Green Tea and Caffeine
Green tea contains caffeine, and caffeine may impact your weight in a number of ways. It can increase mental focus and boost your exercise intensity, so you burn more calories during and after your workouts. Caffeine can also reduce your appetite, and sipping a warm beverage can reduce mindless snacking.
Pros of Caffeine:
- Increases your metabolism
- Boosts your mental alertness, including memory, reaction time, mood, and overall brain function (fun fact- green tea also contains the amino acid L-theanine, which further boosts your brainpower!)
- Can elevate your mood
- Improves your body’s fat-burning abilities
- Can improve exercise performance
- May prevent brain aging including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Cons of Caffeine:
- Can make it tough to sleep
- May cause frequent urination and dehydration
- Can cause anxiety, jitters, and shakiness
- Causes digestive distress in some people
- When consumed in excess, can lead to heart palpitations
- Can cause headaches
Hyleys Slim Tea recommends drinking it before bed, but interestingly, it contains about 6 mg of caffeine per teabag. This is quite low, which is good because it is less likely to interfere with your sleep than stronger teas. However, it is also low enough in caffeine that it is unlikely to make a real difference to your metabolism.
Senna Leaves
Senna is an herb that is commonly used as a laxative. It can be used on occasion to treat constipation, or also to clear the bowels in preparation for a diagnostic test like a colonoscopy.
Weight-loss teas often include senna because many people experience less bloating after a bowel movement. However, passing bowel movements have little to do with weight loss and do not mean that any fat is shed.
Senna is not meant for long-term use: in fact, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) recommended that senna leaf products bear a label stating, “Do not use this product if you have abdominal pain or diarrhea. Consult a healthcare provider prior to use if you are pregnant or nursing. Discontinue use in the event of diarrhea or watery stools. Do not exceed the recommended dose. Not for long-term use.”
This study [1] found that “Senna is generally safe and well-tolerated, but can cause adverse events including clinically apparent liver injury when used in high doses for longer than recommended periods.” However, Hyleys Slim Tea does not label their product as a short-term fix.
Furthermore, prolonged diarrhea can lead to an electrolyte imbalance that can harm your health. Overuse of laxatives can also lead to laxative dependence and failure of normal bowel function. So we say pass on the regular senna tea, except as an occasional home remedy.
Natural Fruit Flavor
Each flavor of Hyleys Slim Tea contains natural fruit flavor, like acai or blackberry. Natural fruit flavor can be made from a number of ingredients and does not necessarily contain fruit. While they can be benign, they can also be a source of allergic reactions in some people and should be consumed with caution. [2]
How Does Hyleys Slim Tea Work?
Hyleys Slim Tea works in three main ways:
→ The antioxidants in green tea can help with overall health, reducing inflammation and preventing disease.
→ The caffeine in the green tea may help boost your metabolism.
→ The senna leaves will irritate the lining of the bowel, which causes a laxative effect that can help you feel temporarily less bloated.
Potential Hyleys Slim Tea Side Effects
Potential side effects of Hyleys Slim Tea include stomach pains, cramping, jitteriness, diarrhea, increased heart rate, dehydration, gas, dizziness, vomiting, electrolyte imbalance, and allergic reaction.
What’s the Bottom Line?
The green tea that Hyleys Slim Tea contains has great health benefits, and for occasional constipation relief, senna leaf is a good option. So if you want to consume green tea and senna leaf tea in a conveniently pre-packaged format, Hyleys Slim Tea may be a great option for you.
Ultimately, due to its senna leaves which can only be safely consumed occasionally, Hyleys Slim Tea should not be consumed on a long-term basis. And while the green tea it contains may support your weight-loss goals, the amount in Hyleys Slim Teas is unlikely to make a noticeable difference.
While it would be wonderful if weight-loss teas did the trick, at the end of the day, there are no shortcuts to good health. This type of product does well on social media such as Instagram story maker but it seems to be all hype.
Written by Stephanie Moore
Stephanie is a professional writer who is a ‘SIBO survivor’ herself with broad experience writing in the health field. She is a regular writer for SIBO Survivor and calls Berlin, Germany home.
