The Effect of Exercise in Water Exercise and Consumption of Herbal Tea (Oolong tea, green coffee, ginger and lemon) on Body Composition and Quality of Life in Overweight and Obese women

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of waterexercise and the consumption of herbal tea on body composition and quality of life in overweight and obese women.

In this experimental study, 48 obese and overweight adult women with an average body mass index of 31.16 were selected and randomly divided into 4 groups: herbal tea (n=13), water exercise (n=12), herbal tea, and exercise in water (n=12) and control (n=11). Herbal tea was consumed twice a day after lunch and dinner for eight weeks. Water exercises were performed for eight weeks, three sessions a week, and each session lasted 60 min. Body composition was measured using a body composition instrument, and quality of life was measured through a questionnaire before and after the study. ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests were used for data analysis.

The results showed that the weight and BMI of overweight and obese women decreased in the   water exercise group and the group of water exercise group with tea consumption after eight weeks (P<0.05). Chest circumference, abdominal circumference, percentage of body fat, and visceral fat decreased in the water exercise group along with the consumption of tea (P<0.05). In addition, the quality of life (physical health and total score) improved in both exercise groups (P<0.01).

The results show the beneficial effect of water exercise on the body composition and quality of life of overweight and obese women. The consumption of herbal tea only had no effect.