Steeping the freshly steamed and dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant in hot water yields green tea. Green tea is low in calories and rich in antioxidants, but too much green tea can harm your health. Drinking too much green tea puts you at risk for liver damage, caffeine overdose and fluorosis, according to Medline Plus and Toxipedia. Green tea interacts with many medications and can worsen certain pre-existing medical conditions. According to Medline Plus, drinking too much green tea can even be fatal.
General Precautions
Green tea is a healthy drink for most people, but it isn't suitable for everyone. The University of Maryland Medical Center advises children under the age of 2, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and individuals with heart disease, psychological disorders, kidney dysfunction or stomach ulcers to avoid drinking green tea. Medline Plus, a service of the National Institutes of Health and US National Library of Medicine, further recommends people with anemia or bleeding disorders avoid green tea. Green tea interacts with a host of medications, including birth control pills, antibiotics, cancer drugs, stimulants, anticoagulants and alcohol, according to Medline Plus. If you are taking any drugs, check with your physician before drinking green tea.
Green Tea Side Effects
Drinking too much green tea produces side effects. Medline Plus reports green tea may cause constipation and an upset stomach. In rare cases, liver damage results from taking green tea. Green tea appears to reduce the body's absorption of iron. Very high doses of green tea can be fatal, according to Medline Plus.
Caffeine
According to Medline Plus, green tea naturally contains between 4 percent and 6 percent caffeine. Drinking too much tea produces side effects from caffeine exposure, including diarrhea, headache, irregular heartbeat, insomnia, heartburn and convulsions. The University of Maryland Medical Center states abdominal spasms and vomiting after drinking green tea may be the result of caffeine poisoning. Medline Plus estimates the approximate lethal dose of caffeine in green tea is 10 to 14 grams, although toxicity occurs at lower doses.
Fluoride
Tea naturally contains high levels of fluoride, which readily enters water when tea is steeped. According to Toxipedia, some teas contain from 0.03 ppm to 25.7 ppm fluoride. To put this in perspective, the US.. FDA regulates fluoride levels in bottled beverages so that they do not exceed 1.4 ppm to 2.4 ppm. Many teas exceed the legal limit for fluoride. The US EPA recommends children under age 9 not drink water containing more fluoride than the standard limit. According to Toxipedia, the standard limit is low enough to protect against dental fluorosis.
Member Comments