CLAIM: The viral reel claims that blue tea made from butterfly pea flowers can support metabolism, assist with weight management and reduce cravings. It recommends drinking blue tea three times a day along with a healthy diet and exercise to support weight loss.

FACT: Current evidence does not show that blue tea directly boosts metabolism, reduces cravings or causes weight loss. Small human studies have found some short-term effects on glucose, triglycerides and antioxidant markers, while laboratory and animal studies suggest potential metabolic benefits. 

Blue tea can support a weight-management routine when consumed without added sugar, particularly if it replaces higher-calorie or sugary beverages, but any benefit is likely to come from the overall diet and calorie balance – not from blue tea actively burning fat. There is also no strong evidence to support drinking it three times a day specifically for weight loss. 

Have you also come across viral, trending videos showing how to make blue tea and urging you to try it for its supposed health and weight-loss benefits?

In a viral Instagram reel posted by dietitian Avani Bansal, who has 55.6K followers, she discusses blue tea made from butterfly pea flowers and claims it can support weight management. 

In the reel, Bansal first cautions viewers against relying on detox drinks, saying, “No drink alone causes weight loss.” She then says that while the right drink can support a weight-loss journey, blue tea “really supports your metabolism, assists in weight management and reduces cravings.”

Bansal says the blue tea she has been trying is made with butterfly pea flowers and contains “no dust, no fillers.” She also highlights that it is caffeine-free and that the tea bags are biodegradable. Recommending the drink as part of a broader approach to weight management, she says, “Try it 3 times a day while pairing it with good diet and exercise and notice how your cravings and energy levels shift.”

The reel has gained massive traction on Instagram, with more than 1.4 million views and 11,800 likes.

Can blue tea help you lose weight? Here’s what science says 

The available evidence suggests that butterfly pea flower contains compounds that may influence glucose regulation, post-meal lipid responses, antioxidant activity and fat-cell biology. But the evidence becomes considerably weaker when the question is whether drinking blue tea actually leads to weight loss in humans.

The available human studies are small and short-term, while evidence from laboratory and animal studies cannot be directly translated into clinical benefits. There is currently no strong human clinical evidence showing that blue tea boosts metabolism, reduces cravings or causes meaningful weight loss.

According to a 2018 randomised crossover study, researchers examined the effects of Clitoria ternatea flower extract (CTE), commonly known as butterfly pea flower, on post-meal glucose, insulin and antioxidant responses. The study involved 15 healthy men, who consumed five different beverages containing either sucrose, 1 g or 2 g of CTE, or combinations of sucrose with CTE.

The researchers found that when CTE was consumed along with sucrose, post-meal glucose and insulin levels were lower after 30 minutes. CTE also increased several measures of antioxidant capacity and reduced malondialdehyde, a marker of lipid peroxidation. However, the study examined acute metabolic responses over three hours and did not measure weight loss, body-fat reduction or metabolic rate.

The researchers concluded that “acute ingestion of CTE increases plasma antioxidant capacity without hypoglycemia in the fasting state” and that it improved postprandial glucose, insulin and antioxidant status when consumed with sucrose. The findings therefore suggest an effect on some short-term metabolic markers, but they do not establish that blue tea boosts metabolism or causes weight loss.

Some laboratory research has explored whether butterfly pea flower could affect the formation and breakdown of fat cells. A 2019 study investigated the effects of CTE on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, a commonly used mouse cell model for studying fat-cell development. Researchers found that the extract inhibited the formation of mature fat cells, reduced triglyceride accumulation and enhanced lipolysis in the cells.

The study identified several compounds in CTE, including delphinidin derivatives, kaempferol and quercetin-related compounds, and examined their effects on pathways involved in adipogenesis. The researchers reported that CTE inhibited adipogenesis by affecting the Akt and ERK1/2 signalling pathways and reducing the expression of proteins involved in fat-cell formation and lipid accumulation.

However, this was a cell-based laboratory study, not a study in humans. The authors themselves noted that “further studies should be done to prove its anti-obesity effect in animal models.” Therefore, these findings cannot be used as evidence that drinking blue tea reduces body weight in people.

Human research has also looked at whether butterfly pea flower extract affects other metabolic markers associated with high-fat meals. In a 2021 randomised study, researchers studied 16 overweight and obese men who consumed a high-fat meal either alone or with 1 g or 2 g of CTE.

The researchers found that the 2-g dose reduced the post-meal rise in serum triglycerides and free fatty acids and improved some measures of antioxidant status. However, there were no significant differences in post-meal glucose between the groups, and the study did not measure long-term changes in body weight or body fat.

The researchers concluded that CTE “can be used as a natural ingredient for reducing postprandial lipemia and improving the antioxidant status in overweight and obese men after consuming HF meals.” At the same time, they acknowledged important limitations, including the small sample size, inclusion of only men and the acute nature of the intervention, and called for longer-term studies involving both men and women.

This distinction is important because a reduction in post-meal triglycerides or other metabolic markers does not necessarily mean that a person will lose weight. The 2021 study provides some evidence that butterfly pea extract may influence certain short-term metabolic responses, but it does not demonstrate a weight-loss effect.

Animal research has produced more promising findings, but it too cannot establish that blue tea helps people lose weight. A 2022 study examined an aqueous extract of Clitoria ternatea in male C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat, high-fructose diet. The researchers reported that the extract reduced several markers associated with metabolic dysfunction, including plasma leptin, free fatty acids and LDL cholesterol, and improved insulin resistance and total cholesterol.

Similarly, a 2023 study investigated aqueous Clitoria ternatea extract in rats fed a high-fat diet. The researchers reported reductions in body weight, cholesterol, LDL and VLDL levels and improvements in some measures of obesity and cardiovascular risk. The study concluded that C. ternatea showed “significant potential effects as an antiobesity and antidyslipidemic agent.”

However, these findings came from animal models, using specific extract preparations and doses that cannot simply be equated with drinking a cup of blue tea. They provide a basis for further research but do not establish that the same effects occur in humans.

What experts have to say

Ms Edwina Raj, Head of Services – Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics, Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru, said the claim that blue tea boosts metabolism is not strongly supported by human evidence. Butterfly pea flowers contain plant compounds such as anthocyanins, which have antioxidant properties, but this does not mean that drinking blue tea significantly increases metabolic rate or calorie burning.

“Metabolism is influenced by several factors, including muscle mass, physical activity, age, genetics, sleep and overall calorie intake,” she said. According to Raj, there is currently no strong evidence that drinking butterfly pea flower tea produces a meaningful increase in calorie expenditure. She said blue tea can be included as a healthy, low-calorie beverage when consumed without added sugar, but “it should not be promoted as a metabolism-boosting or fat-burning drink.”

On the claim that blue tea can assist with weight management, Raj said there is not enough strong human evidence to conclude that butterfly pea flower tea directly causes weight loss or significantly improves weight management. While some compounds found in butterfly pea flowers have shown potentially beneficial metabolic effects in laboratory and early research, these findings cannot automatically be translated into weight loss in humans.

“Weight management primarily depends on the overall balance between calorie intake and expenditure, along with diet quality, physical activity, sleep and other lifestyle factors,” she said. Raj added that blue tea can fit into a weight-management plan because it is naturally very low in calories when consumed without sugar or other calorie-containing additives. However, simply adding blue tea to the diet without addressing overall eating and activity habits is unlikely to produce meaningful weight loss.

Addressing the claim that blue tea reduces cravings and improves energy levels, Raj said there is insufficient evidence to support either claim confidently. “Butterfly pea flower tea is not a proven appetite suppressant, and there is no established evidence that drinking it directly reduces hunger or food cravings,” she said.

She also pointed out that butterfly pea flower tea does not naturally contain caffeine in the way that tea or coffee made from Camellia sinensis does. Therefore, it should not be considered a reliable energy-boosting beverage. While someone may feel refreshed after drinking a warm or chilled unsweetened beverage, particularly if they were mildly dehydrated, “that is different from a physiological increase in energy.”

Raj said people experiencing frequent cravings should instead examine factors such as meal timing, protein and fibre intake, hydration, sleep and overall dietary patterns, rather than relying on blue tea to control appetite.

On the recommendation to drink blue tea three times a day, Raj said there is no established need to consume it at this frequency specifically for weight loss. Having blue tea as part of a healthy routine is generally reasonable for most people, particularly when it replaces sugary beverages and is consumed without added sugar, honey or other calorie-dense ingredients.

“In that situation, the benefit comes mainly from reducing overall calorie intake rather than from blue tea actively burning body fat,” she said. A nutritious diet, appropriate calorie intake, regular physical activity, adequate sleep and sustainable eating habits, she added, have a much greater impact on weight management.

Raj concluded that blue tea can be viewed as an optional beverage within a healthy lifestyle, but “drinking it three times daily should not be presented as a scientifically proven weight-loss strategy.”

Also read: Can drinking green tea daily reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke?