Report Analyzes Caffeine, EGCG in Green Tea Products

WHITE PLAINS, NYIn December, ConsumerLab.com tested green tea supplements and bottled tea for epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and caffeine levels. The report, "Product Review of Green Tea Supplements and Bottled Drinks," evaluated 19 different products, with levels varying widely by brand.

"Although a label says 'green tea,' the actual amounts of EGCG and caffeine you get from a supplement or drink vary widely by brand," said Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of ConsumerLab.com.

The website found green tea supplements provided between 22 and 300 mg of EGCG in a suggested daily serving; caffeine levels spanned from zero to 135 mg per serving. Bottled green tea, on the other hand, recorded EGCG levels of 4 to 47 mg per cup, and caffeine between 8 and 37 mg.  n its analysis, one supplement contained only 38 percent of the advertised EGCG levels, with the unusually high 136 mg of caffeine per capsule.

In October, the independent company reviewed 22 eye health products with lutein and zeaxanthin for claims and quality.