Compound
(-)-epigallocatechin 3-gallate
EGCG. One unambiguous candidate; the common name is a synonym rather than the label.
Studied for
4 endpoints, 4 findings, from 2 papers — 1 of them found no effect.
- Fasting blood glucoselowersGrade D, Preliminary. Non-human or in vitro only.
- Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c)lowersGrade D, Preliminary. Non-human or in vitro only.
- HOMA-IRlowersGrade D, Preliminary. Non-human or in vitro only.
- Lean body massno detected effectGrade F, Speculative. Mechanistic inference, or no evidence found.
Structure
- Class
- Organic compound
- Formula
- C22H18O11
- Mass
- 458.375 g/mol
- Charge
- 0
- InChIKey
- WMBWREPUVVBILR-WIYYLYMNSA-N
- SMILES
- O=C(O[C@@H]1Cc2c(O)cc(O)cc2O[C@@H]1c1cc(O)c(O)c(O)c1)c1cc(O)c(O)c(O)c1
- Look it up
- ChEBIBy InChIKey
Identity from ChEBI. Not evidence — none of it carries a grade.
What the evidence says
How to read these marks4 findings across 4 endpoints, from 2 papers, strongest first, 1 of them null.
What moved
3 findings
Decreases glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c)
PreliminaryGrade D, Preliminary. Non-human or in vitro only.Finding“Notably, the reduction in HbA1c (WMD: -0.18%, 95% CI: -0.35, -0.02; P = 0.029) was small and may not equate to clinically meaningful benefits for all populations.”
Quoted verbatim from Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate on Glycemic Index: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.. - Study
- meta-analysis
- Population
- Pooled across 41 randomized controlled trials of EGCG supplementation (meta-analysis of glycemic index and related parameters).
Effect -0.18 mean difference, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.02
Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate on Glycemic Index: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.2025PMID:40885603
Decreases HOMA-IR
PreliminaryGrade D, Preliminary. Non-human or in vitro only.Finding“The meta-analysis demonstrated that EGCG supplementation led to statistically significant, but modest, reductions in fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, and HOMA-IR.”
Quoted verbatim from Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate on Glycemic Index: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.. - Study
- meta-analysis
- Population
- Pooled across 41 randomized controlled trials of EGCG supplementation (meta-analysis of glycemic index and related parameters).
Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate on Glycemic Index: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.2025PMID:40885603
Decreases fasting blood glucose
PreliminaryGrade D, Preliminary. Non-human or in vitro only.Finding“The meta-analysis demonstrated that EGCG supplementation led to statistically significant, but modest, reductions in fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, and HOMA-IR.”
Quoted verbatim from Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate on Glycemic Index: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.. - Study
- meta-analysis
- Population
- Pooled across 41 randomized controlled trials of EGCG supplementation (meta-analysis of glycemic index and related parameters).
Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate on Glycemic Index: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.2025PMID:40885603
What did not
1 finding
Measured, and no effect detected. These are findings, not gaps — a trial that looked and found nothing is the most easily lost result in this field.
No detected effect on lean body mass
SpeculativeGrade F, Speculative. Mechanistic inference, or no evidence found.FindingNull result“No change was observed in lean mass by EGCG (Figure.”
Quoted verbatim from The phytochemical epigallocatechin gallate prolongs the lifespan by improving lipid metabolism, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in high-fat diet-fed obese rats.. - Study
- animal · not in humans
- Dose
- 50 mg/kg/d
- Population
- Adult male Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet (obese model); body composition assessed at 100 weeks, EGCG group vs HF group.