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Green tea is a healthy and most popular drink across the world. It is one of the favorite drinks for health-conscious people. It comes from the plant Camellia sinensis. They prefer to drink 2-3 cups of green tea a day. Note that excess of everything is bad. You may not have imagined that there can be side-effects of consuming green tea. Now how much green tea is too much? 2-3 cups of green tea or 200-300 mg caffeine intake each day is good enough. Some people should avoid green tea:
- Pregnant women (Also Read: Pregnant Women Diet Chart )
- If you are on any medication that may become reactive with green tea
- During abdominal issues
- During bladder issues
- If you are planning to sleep
Consult a doctor if you have any of these problems and how beneficial it will be to consume green tea in such situations. Let us go through some side-effects of green tea.
15 side-effects of consuming green tea
Although green tea is safe and has evident health benefits such as lowering cholesterol you may not believe that it has side-effects too.
- Green tea and iron can be a bad combination
The studies say that drinking too much green tea can lead to iron deficiency resulting in low red blood cells and anemia. There is a component in green tea – epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC) that binds iron. Therefore, doctors say that people who are taking iron supplements must avoid green tea (usually IBD – inflammatory bowel disease patients). This is because ECGC loses its capacity to bind iron that causes inflammation and stomach pain. - Caffeine in green tea can cause problem
Green tea contains 10-15 grams of caffeine. Therefore, more than 3-4 cups a day increases the amount of caffeine in the body leading to overdose. It can cause several health issues such as diarrhea, constipation, anxiety, and/or insomnia. - Green tea during pregnancy is not advisable
There can be side-effects of green tea in pregnant women and their babies. There can be hypertension during pregnancy if a pregnant woman consumes more than 300mgs of caffeine per day. Folic acid is an important component for a pregnant woman that prevents miscarriages and birth defects. The green tea extracts can reduce the levels of folic acid.
Even for lactating mothers, excess green tea can be harmful. Therefore, talk to your gynecologist before consuming green tea during and after pregnancy. - Muscle weakness due to low potassium levels
For muscle contraction, potassium plays a vital role. Consumption of excess green tea can lower potassium levels and the muscles can become weak. - Green tea extract can harm liver
To lose weight quickly, people consume excess green tea that can go wrong and cause liver damage. - Excess caffeine also leads to headache, nausea and vomiting
Some people are sensitive to lower doses of caffeine may also show symptoms such as nausea, vomiting. The blood pressure may also drop down after a high dosage of caffeine. - Bones may get brittle
Higher green tea consumption increases the bone fracture risk and reduces the bone density. - Do not drink green tea while fasting
It is a myth that it provides you nutrition while fasting. On the contrary, it can lead to constipation and nausea. The stomach acid increases due to green tea tannins. - Avoid green tea when you are taking certain medicines
The reason why green tea rejuvenates you is because caffeine is a stimulator. Usually, caffeine breaks down and flushes out of the body. - It causes heartburn
Acidity and heartburn is the result of bad food habits, smoking, obesity or GERD like diseases. Similarly excess green tea consumption can also result in heartburn. - Excess caffeine may also stain teeth
It may stain your teeth, especially after bleach treatment. - Infertility in men
High consumption of green tea can disturb the sperm DNA and negatively affect male fertility and reproductive organ. - Upset stomach and abdominal pain
Consuming excess (more than 3 cups) green tea can cause diarrhea due to its laxative properties. High dosage of caffeine can cause abdominal pain and upset stomach. - Impair thyroid function
There is abnormal thyroid function due to high doses of green tea. This high dose of caffeine may also cause the baby to lose weight in a pregnant woman. - It may cause frequent urination
People think that it is the water that is increasing the frequency of their urination but it is caffeine. The bladder functioning gets affected by the excess caffeine. Therefore, reduce the consumption of green tea to prevent urinary disorders.Also Read: Myth or Fact: Is Coffee Beneficial for Gallstones?
Conclusion
Do not get excess of anything. There are several healthy health drinks for body detox. Limit the amount of green tea or get a substitute such as lemon water, ginger cinnamon tea, chamomile tea, tulsi tea and many more. The right dosage of these drinks is very helpful. Therefore, talk to a health specialist for further advice.
Also Read: 15 Food you thought were healthy but actually aren’t!
