A typical conviction green tea is quite possibly of the best beverage. A few investigations and exploration discuss its medical advantages. Along these lines, individuals consume it with next to no guideline to receive a few rewards. At any point in any case, do we stop to consider whether an abundance of green tea utilization could have it’s adverse consequences as well? Like some other food and refreshment, overabundance green tea utilization makes possible side impacts. This article features a couple of these secondary effects.
Green tea comes from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis plant. Various assortments of tea have a place with a similar plant. Nonetheless, the handling stage separates them. Since green tea is one of the most un-handled sorts of tea than its different variations, it confers all the decency. The readiness of green tea includes unoxidised leaves. Along these lines, they contain different supplements which give medical advantages. Furthermore, green tea contains cell reinforcements that benefit our wellbeing. Enemies of oxidants are intensifies that forestall oxidative pressure to the cells. It, thus, limits the extreme cell injury.
Green tea likewise contains a powerful cell reinforcement called EpiGalloCatechin Gallate (EGCG). It assists battle illnesses with loving Alzheimer’s, joint inflammation, coronary illness, malignant growth, and heftiness. However, a well established demonstrated hypothesis is that utilization of anything in overabundance removes every one of the advantages and prompts a few secondary effects. The most recent examination shows that overabundance utilization of green tea might cause unfavorable or incidental effects. It brings about numerous wellbeing problems and intricacies. For instance, abundance green tea utilization might prompt aftereffects like weakness, IBD, liver harmfulness, and thyroid issues.
Side Effects of Excess Green Tea Consumption
Although green tea imparts various health benefits, excess green tea consumption leads to complications and adverse effects. Therefore, it is essential to consume it in moderation. In addition, some people should avoid green tea consumption. For example, pregnant and lactating mothers should refrain from drinking green tea and products made from its extracts. Furthermore, doctors may advise people with hypertension to avoid green tea under certain medications.
1. Anaemia
Research proves that anaemia results from iron deficiency. Low iron levels in your blood may cause iron deficiency, reducing haemoglobin. Iron is necessary to synthesise haemoglobin because it is the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells. These cells carry oxygen to other body cells.
Green tea contains a pigment named epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which binds iron in the blood, reducing iron content. As a result, it prevents iron absorption, leading to iron deficiency and reducing your haemoglobin count. Low haemoglobin levels may result in breathlessness, fatigue, and weakness.
2. Drug Interactions
Caffeine in green tea stimulates your nervous system. The stimulation makes you rejuvenated and fresh. However, caffeine interacts with certain medications. As a result, it leads to adverse effects or complications.
Usually, caffeine breaks down and gets eliminated from your body. However, studies reveal that some medications prevent their breakdown. Instead, they cause the accumulation of caffeine in your body. It elevates the adrenalin levels in your body, which can potentially shoot your blood pressure and heart rate. Such medications include antibiotics, birth control drugs, and anaesthetic drugs.
Caffeine also prevents the action of certain antipsychotic drugs like Clozapine, Metazolam, and Lithium content drugs. As a result, it prevents absorption, resulting in drug accumulation in the blood. As per research, such drug accumulation results in clozapine toxicity and can also cause lithium toxicity.
Vitamin K in green tea also interferes with the effects of Warfarin, an anticoagulant or anti-blood-clotting drug. As a result, it can initiate bleeding in patients with bleeding disorders.
3. Triggers Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD)
You should avoid drinking green tea if you have IBD. That is because the EGCG binds with iron in your body and restricts the inhibition of an enzyme named myeloperoxidase. The enzyme triggers inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases. As a result, it causes inflammation and other symptoms, including stomach pain and vomiting.
4. Harmful During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, excessive green tea consumption may impact both the mother and the foetus. It causes hypertension in mothers and increases the heart rate. Both the conditions are harmful. Caffeine also increases urination, resulting in loss of your body fluid. It causes dehydration. Blood pressure may exert force on your heart and kidney, resulting in disorders. Blood pressure might also cause contractions in the uterus, resulting in preterm delivery.
Caffeine and tannins in green tea can also lower the folic acid content in your body. Folic acid is vital during pregnancy because it prevents anaemia. Low folic acid leads to low haemoglobin levels. Furthermore, it causes dizziness and breathlessness. In addition, folic acid also prevents any changes in DNA. It protects you from various disorders. For example, it prevents newborn abnormalities like spina bifida, a brain disease. As per studies, spina bifida is a congenital deformity, a condition by birth. Folic acid also prevents the fusion of a newborn’s spinal cord with the backbone.
5. Low Potassium Levels
Potassium is an essential element for multiple functions in your body. For example, potassium impacts nerve function, heart rhythm, and muscle contraction. Unfortunately, excessive caffeine through green tea lowers potassium levels because caffeine has diuretic properties, flushing salt content from your body. As a result, it causes a potassium deficiency, which can prove fatal in many ways. For example, it causes muscles weakness, cramps, altered heartbeat, and even paralysis.
6. Liver Toxicity
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a pigment in green tea, imparts various health benefits. However, excess concentration makes the liver release enzymes to break down or metabolise caffeine. It exerts a load on the liver and disturbs its smooth functioning. The caffeine content harms the liver cells and results in liver toxicity, which can cause jaundice and urine discolouration. Symptoms of liver toxicity include headache, dizziness, and palpitations.
7. Affects Thyroid Function
A higher concentration of caffeine and catechins impairs thyroid function. It blocks the absorption of thyroid hormones. An imbalance in thyroid hormones may result in nervousness, confusion, and irritability. It also affects the absorption of vitamins, causing many disorders like abnormal weight gain, weight loss, and temperature sensitivity. In addition, excess caffeine and catechins also affect the absorption of essential minerals. Furthermore, an imbalance in thyroid hormones during pregnancy may impact the growth of the foetus.
8. Impacts Bone Strength
Flavonoids are essential for bone growth. However, higher doses impact bone growth and density. In addition, the caffeine in green tea might restrict calcium absorption, which results in low calcium levels in the bone. Calcium is the central element for bone health. Calcium deficiency affects bone growth and strength, increasing the risk of fractures and reducing bone density. Therefore, you should take any tea extract supplements under the supervision of doctors. It will help you avoid the side effects.
Moreover, the excess flavonoids trigger mutations. Mutations are permanent changes in the DNA or RNA, resulting in diseases or disorders. Flavonoids in green tea also release free radicals that induce cell injury. They form the basis of inflammatory and degenerative diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis.
9. Anxiety and Insomnia
Caffeine in green tea is a nervous system stimulant. Optimal doses lower stress levels and induce sleep. However, excess amounts may trigger sleeplessness and anxiety, resulting in restlessness and irritability.
10. Induces Bleeding
Again, caffeine in green tea has anti-clotting properties. Thus, it prevents clotting and initiates profuse bleeding. You will prominently observe this during injury or in surgery. Warfarin is an anticoagulant drug that prevents stroke and cardiac arrest. Caffeine interferes with its effect. In addition, vitamin K in green tea is also an anticoagulant.
11. Causes Heartburn
Heartburn is a common symptom of gastroesophageal disease (GERD), commonly known as acidity. Green tea contains theophylline that enhances the acidic environment in your stomach. An abnormal acidic environment triggers the food contents to return to the food pipe, resulting in acid reflux or heartburn. As per research, excessive green tea consumption, smoking, and obesity trigger heartburn.
Excess green tea consumption also induces Asymptomatic Erosive Esophagitis. It is a worsened stage of heartburn. The frequency of this disorder is higher in people who drink green tea frequently.
12. Stomach Disorders
Caffeine also has laxative properties. It is a gastrointestinal stimulant that enhances the food pipe muscle contractions. That means it facilitates bowel movements. However, excess consumption may induce diarrhea and abdominal pain.
13. Low Blood Pressure
Caffeine has diuretic properties, which makes your body eliminate salt, sodium and water. In addition, caffeine triggers the urinary bladder to induce the frequency of urination. It also drains water from your blood and reduces the fluid level. As a result, it lowers your blood pressure. Therefore, people on diuretic medication should be cautious while taking green tea. It may further lower your blood pressure and result in dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, vomiting, and weakness.
14. May Cause Infertility in Men
In a 2018 study at the University of California-Irvine, researchers warn that excessive consumption of Green Tea may adversely affect fertility. That is due to the flavonoids in green tea. However, these flavonoids are beneficial to health. But, an excess causes impaired sperm synthesis and sperm motility and decreases testosterone levels. Testosterone is the male reproductive hormone. In addition, caffeine impacts the DNA in sperm, affecting sperm viability and impacting reproduction.
15. Impacts Your Teeth
Regular consumption of green tea might cause stains on your teeth. It is because the tannins in green tea may seep into your teeth cells and impart discoloration or stains. Moreover, the acidic content in coffee might also dissolve the enamel. Therefore, it aggravates tooth discoloration. Staining also causes discoloration of the skin in your mouth.
16. May Cause Headaches
Some individuals might suffer from headaches after consuming green tea. That is because it contains caffeine. An excess of caffeine may trigger headaches. Thus, people with migraine should only have it occasionally. Avoid drinking it daily, especially if you suffer from headaches more frequently. Likewise, you should not consume it if you have a caffeine sensitivity.
17. Vomiting
Excessive green tea consumption may also lead to nausea and vomiting. It is due to the presence of tannins and the way protein binds in your intestines. Thus, the amount of green tea you can drink in a day should be moderate.
What is the Optimum Quantity of Green Tea You Should Have Per Day?
Every food or drink has some or other side effects. Green tea is nothing different. Unfortunately, along with the beneficial side of green tea, side effects also persist. However, it happens when you over consume it. So you should consume it in moderation. Anything under two cups per day is safe.
However, drinking more than 3-4 cups of green tea per day may have adverse health effects.
Another fact is that the side effects are not confined only to the dose. They are also related to allergy or sensitivity. The best solution is to check with your doctors before including it in your regular diet. The quantities may vary according to your body weight, underlying medications, and allergies.
Conclusion
Green tea has numerous medical advantages. In any case, unreasonable admission could hurt you. Albeit these aftereffects can result from certain sensitivities, they are close to 100% to happen with overabundance utilization. Consequently, it is crucial for limit your green tea utilization to direct. Also, the greater part of the symptoms of abundance green tea utilization are because of caffeine. Consequently, managing your caffeine admission through different refreshments and foods is likewise fundamental.
Lime juice, tulsi tea, ginger tea, and cinnamon tea are superb substitutes for green tea. Their nourishing piece grants restorative properties. Thus, they benefit your wellbeing. Nonetheless, moderate utilization of green tea is protected, and on your primary care physician’s recommendation, you can add it to your customary eating routine and partake in the medical advantages.
