Green tea is widely regarded as one of the healthiest beverages. Several studies and research have been conducted on its health advantages. As a result, people use it without restriction in order to reap a variety of benefits.
However, do we ever consider whether an excess of green tea drinking may also have harmful consequences? Excessive green tea use, like any other food or beverage, can have negative consequences. A handful of these negative effects are highlighted in this article.
Green tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant’s leaves and buds. Different types of tea are derived from the same plant. However, the stage of processing distinguishes them. Green tea contains all of the goodness because it is one of the least processed varieties of tea compared to its other variants.
Unoxidized leaves are used in the manufacturing of green tea. As a result, they contain a variety of nutrients that are beneficial to one’s health. Green tea also contains antioxidants, which are beneficial to our health. Anti-oxidants are chemicals that protect cells from oxidative damage. As a result, the radical cell harm is limited.
Green tea also has a powerful antioxidant known as EpiGalloCatechin Gallate (EGCG). It aids in the treatment of disorders such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, and obesity. However, an age-old proven idea holds that consuming anything in excess negates all of the benefits and causes a slew of adverse effects.
According to the most recent studies, excessive drinking of green tea may have negative or side consequences. It causes a slew of health problems and difficulties. Excessive green tea drinking, for example, may result in anaemia, IBD, liver damage, and thyroid difficulties.
Related – 10 Tea Varieties and Their Health Benefits
Side Effects of Excessive Green Tea Consumption
Although green tea has many health benefits, drinking too much of it might lead to difficulties and negative side effects. As a result, it is critical to consume it in moderation. Furthermore, some people should avoid drinking green tea.
Pregnant and nursing women, for example, should avoid drinking green tea and anything containing its extracts. Furthermore, patients with hypertension may be advised by their doctors to avoid green tea when taking specific drugs.
1. Aplastic anaemia
Anemia is caused by an iron shortage, according to research. Low iron levels in your blood can lead to iron deficiency, which reduces haemoglobin levels. Because haemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells, iron is required for its formation. These cells transport oxygen to other cells in the body.
Green tea includes the pigment epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which binds iron in the blood, lowering iron levels. As a result, it inhibits iron absorption, resulting in iron insufficiency and a decrease in haemoglobin count. Low haemoglobin levels can cause shortness of breath, weariness, and weakness.
2. Interactions between drugs
Green tea contains caffeine, which stimulates your neurological system. The stimulus revitalises and revitalises you. Caffeine, on the other hand, interacts with several drugs. As a result, it has negative consequences or problems.
Caffeine usually degrades and is excreted from the body. However, studies show that some drugs help to keep them from breaking down. Instead, they induce a buildup of caffeine in your body.
It raises your adrenalin levels, which can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to skyrocket. Antibiotics, birth control pills, and anaesthetics are examples of such pharmaceuticals.
Caffeine also inhibits the action of antipsychotic medications such as Clozapine, Metazolam, and lithium-containing medicines. As a result, it inhibits absorption and causes drug buildup in the blood. According to studies, such medication buildup causes clozapine toxicity and can also cause lithium toxicity.
Green tea contains vitamin K, which interferes with the action of Warfarin, an anticoagulant or anti-blood-clotting medication. As a result, it has the potential to cause bleeding in patients with bleeding disorders.
3. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Triggers (IBD)
If you have IBD, you should avoid drinking green tea. This is because EGCG binds to iron in your body, limiting the inhibition of an enzyme called myeloperoxidase. In inflammatory bowel illness, the enzyme causes inflammation. As a result, it produces inflammation and other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
4. Dangerous During Pregnancy
Excessive green tea consumption during pregnancy may harm both the mother and the foetus. It raises the heart rate and promotes hypertension in moms. Both conditions are hazardous.
Caffeine also causes increased urine, which leads to fluid loss in the body. It dehydrates you. Blood pressure can put strain on your heart and kidneys, causing problems. Blood pressure may also produce uterine contractions, resulting in premature birth.
Caffeine and tannins in green tea can also reduce your body’s folic acid supply. Folic acid is essential during pregnancy because it protects against anaemia. Low folic acid levels result in low haemoglobin levels. It also causes dizziness and shortness of breath.
Furthermore, folic acid inhibits any alterations in DNA. It protects you against a variety of diseases. It, for example, reduces birth defects such as spina bifida, a brain condition. Spina bifida is a congenital malformation, or a condition that occurs at birth, according to research. Folic acid also stops the spinal cord of a newborn from fusing with the backbone.
5. Potassium deficiency
Potassium is required by your body for a variety of tasks. Potassium, for example, has an effect on neuron function, heart rhythm, and muscle contraction.
Unfortunately, too much caffeine in green tea lowers potassium levels because caffeine has diuretic qualities, which flushes salt out of the body.
As a result, it leads to a potassium deficit, which can be lethal in a variety of ways. It can induce muscle weakness, cramping, irregular heartbeat, and even paralysis.
6. Toxicity of the Liver
Green tea contains a pigment called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which has a number of health benefits. Excess concentration, on the other hand, causes the liver to generate enzymes that break down or metabolise caffeine. It puts strain on the liver and disrupts its normal functioning.
Caffeine damages liver cells and causes liver toxicity, which can induce jaundice and urine discoloration. Headache, dizziness, and palpitations are all symptoms of liver poisoning.
7. Influences Thyroid Function
A higher caffeine and catechin content inhibits thyroid function. It prevents thyroid hormone uptake. Thyroid hormone imbalances can cause uneasiness, disorientation, and irritability.
It also interferes with vitamin absorption, resulting in a variety of problems such as excessive weight growth, weight loss, and temperature sensitivity. Furthermore, excessive coffee and catechins interfere with mineral absorption. Furthermore, an imbalance in thyroid hormones during pregnancy may have an effect on the foetal growth.
8. Influences Bone Strength
Flavonoids are required for bone development. Higher doses, on the other hand, have an effect on bone development and density. Furthermore, the caffeine in green tea may inhibit calcium absorption, resulting in low calcium levels in the bone. Calcium is the most important mineral for bone health.
Calcium insufficiency has an impact on bone growth and strength, increasing the risk of fractures and decreasing bone density. As a result, you should only take tea extract supplements under the supervision of a doctor. It will assist you in avoiding the adverse effects.
Furthermore, the excess flavonoids cause mutations. Mutations are long-term changes in the DNA or RNA that cause diseases or problems. Green tea flavonoids also produce free radicals, which cause cell damage. They serve as the foundation for inflammatory and degenerative disorders such as arthritis and osteoporosis.
9. Insomnia and anxiety
Green tea contains caffeine, which stimulates the neurological system. Optimal doses reduce tension and induce sleep. Excessive doses, on the other hand, might cause sleepiness and anxiety, resulting in agitation and irritability.
10. Causes Bleeding
Caffeine, once again, has anti-clotting actions in green tea. As a result, it hinders clotting and causes profuse bleeding. This will be obvious during an injury or during surgery.
Warfarin is an anticoagulant medication that helps to prevent strokes and cardiac arrest. Caffeine counteracts its effect. Green tea also contains vitamin K, which acts as an anticoagulant.
11. Heartburn
Heartburn is a typical symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), sometimes known as acid reflux. Green tea includes theophylline, which helps to maintain an acidic environment in your stomach.
An abnormally acidic environment causes the contents of the food pipe to return to the food pipe, resulting in acid reflux or heartburn. According to studies, excessive green tea consumption, smoking, and obesity cause heartburn.
Asymptomatic Erosive Oesophagitis is also caused by excessive green tea drinking. It is a more severe form of heartburn. People who drink green tea on a regular basis are more likely to suffer from this illness.
12. Digestive Disorders
Caffeine has laxative qualities as well. It is a gastrointestinal stimulant that increases muscular contractions in the food pipe. That is, it makes bowel movements easier. Excessive consumption, on the other hand, may cause diarrhoea and gastrointestinal pain.
13. Low Blood Pressure
Caffeine has diuretic characteristics, meaning it causes your body to excrete salt, sodium, and water. Caffeine also stimulates the urine bladder, increasing the frequency of urination. It also removes water from your blood, lowering your fluid level.
As a result, your blood pressure will be decreased. As a result, those using diuretics should exercise caution when drinking green tea. It may reduce your blood pressure even more, causing dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, vomiting, and weakness.
14. Can Lead to Male Infertility
Researchers at the University of California-Irvine warn that excessive use of Green Tea may have a negative impact on fertility in a 2018 study. This is because green tea contains flavonoids. These flavonoids, on the other hand, are favourable to health.
An excess, on the other hand, impairs sperm production and motility and lowers testosterone levels. The male reproductive hormone is testosterone. Caffeine also affects the DNA in sperm, affecting sperm viability and reproduction.
15. Factors Affecting Your Teeth
Green tea can discolour your teeth if consumed on a regular basis. It’s because the tannins in green tea can infiltrate into the cells of your teeth and cause discoloration or stains.
Furthermore, the acidic substance of coffee may dissolve the enamel. As a result, it exacerbates tooth discoloration. Discoloration of the skin in your mouth is also caused by staining.
16. Causing Headaches
Some people may experience headaches after drinking green tea. This is due to the presence of caffeine. Caffeine overdose can cause headaches.
As a result, migraine sufferers should only experience it on rare occasions. Avoid drinking it on a regular basis, especially if you get headaches frequently. Similarly, if you are caffeine sensitive, you should avoid it.
17. Diarrhea
Green tea use in excess can also cause nausea and vomiting. It’s because of tannins and the way protein binds in your intestines. As a result, the amount of green tea you can consume in a day should be limited.
What is the optimum amount of green tea you should consume every day?
Every food and beverage has some sort of adverse effect. Green tea is no exception.
Unfortunately, in addition to its health benefits, green tea has a number of negative side effects. However, it occurs when you consume too much of it. As a result, you should drink it in moderation. Anything less than two cups per day is safe. Drinking more than 3-4 cups of green tea each day, on the other hand, may be harmful to one’s health.
Another aspect is that side effects are not limited to the dosage. They are also linked to allergies or sensitivities. Before including it into your daily diet, consult with your doctor. The amounts may differ depending on your body weight, underlying drugs, and allergies.
Conclusion – Possible Side Effects of Excess Green Tea
Green tea provides a plethora of health benefits. Excessive consumption, on the other hand, may be harmful. Although some allergies can cause these adverse effects, they are almost certain to occur with excessive use.
As a result, it is critical to keep your green tea consumption in check. Furthermore, caffeine is responsible for the majority of the adverse effects of excessive green tea drinking. As a result, it is equally critical to limit your caffeine intake through other beverages and foods.
Green tea replacements include lime juice, tulsi tea, ginger tea, and cinnamon tea. Their nutritional composition provides medical benefits. As a result, they are beneficial to your health.
However, moderate consumption of green tea is harmless, and on the advice of your doctor, you can incorporate it into your normal diet and reap the health benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What happens if you consume an excessive amount of green tea?
A. While green tea is generally beneficial to health, over use might result in the following adverse effects:
- Anaemia
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Potassium deficiency
- Thyroid function is affected by liver toxicity, which has an impact on bone strength.
- Insomnia and anxiety
- Causes bleeding
- Stomach problems
Q. What if I consume 10 cups of green tea every day?
A.10 cup of green tea is considered excessive. As a result, it may result in all of the disorders listed above. Furthermore, it may cause:
- Blood Pressure Is Low
- Heartburn
- Male Infertility
- Headaches
- Vomiting
As a result, you should limit your consumption of green tea. One should not drink more than three cups of coffee every day. Drinking one or two glasses of green tea every day is beneficial.
Q. Does green tea have an effect on menstruation?
A. No, green tea has no effect on your menstrual cycle. While it is a wonderful method for calming raging hormonal fluctuations, it cannot cause or delay periods. It does, however, aid to increase blood flow during menstruation and relieve period pains.
Q: Who should not consume green tea?
A. Green tea is generally thought to be beneficial to one’s health. Green tea, on the other hand, should be avoided by persons who have a history of bleeding.
This is due to the fact that green tea has a blood-thinning effect. Furthermore, it includes trace levels of caffeine, which might cause initial bleeding. Pregnant women should avoid drinking green tea as well.
Q. Is it hazardous for your kidneys to drink too much tea?
A. Tea frequently contains oxalic acid, which promotes waste accumulation in the kidneys. This, in turn, may result in renal failure and other kidney-related disorders. Furthermore, taking coffee above 5 cups per day can result in certain negative consequences on the body, including kidney stones.
Q. Does drinking green tea cause you to bleed?
A. Yes, the caffeine in green tea can cause you to bleed. It hinders clotting and causes excessive bleeding. This will be obvious during an injury or during surgery. Warfarin is an anticoagulant medication that helps to prevent strokes and cardiac arrest. Caffeine counteracts its effect.
Q. Is green tea beneficial to the skin?
A. Yes, green tea is generally thought to be good for the skin because it includes anti-inflammatory characteristics that help keep the skin’s sheen.
Furthermore, green tea can be used to treat a variety of dermatological disorders. Furthermore, green tea contains considerable antioxidants and vitamin C, both of which have anti-aging qualities for the skin.
Q. Does green tea have any effect on fertility?
A. Yes, green tea may cause male infertility. An overabundance of flavonoids in green tea reduces sperm production, motility, and may lower testosterone levels.
On the other side, other studies have revealed that it has a beneficial effect on sperm quality. Caffeine may also have an effect on the DNA in sperm. The caffeine level of green tea highlights the difficulty that women have when trying to conceive.
Q: Can green tea help you lose abdominal fat?
A. According to several research, green tea helps to reduce body fat, especially belly fat. As a result, taking green tea in moderation can be advantageous for weight loss.
Furthermore, green tea aids in the improvement of metabolism in the body, resulting in an increase in calorie burn and a reduction in fat storage.
Q. Is green tea beneficial to PCOS?
A. According to research, green tea lowers testosterone levels and insulin resistance in women. It is capable of managing PCO cycles well. Green tea also contains antioxidants, which help with PCOS by lowering oxidative stress in the body. The primary cause of PCOS is oxidative stress.
Q. Is green tea beneficial to women?
A. Green tea has been proved to be quite good for ladies. Green tea use has been shown in studies to reduce the risk of breast cancer by 20-30% in women.
It has also aided in the treatment of arteries and the prevention of ovarian cancer. However, if you are planning to have a baby, you should avoid drinking green tea because it may interfere with your fertility.
Q: Is green tea harmful to ovarian cysts?
A. No, just the contrary. Green tea decreases the amount of follicles and cysts in the ovary. As a result, it improves female vaginal health and is good to women with ovarian cysts.
Q. Is green tea beneficial to the thyroid?
A. While green tea does not have many therapeutic properties for thyroid disorders, it also does not have any negative consequences. It is safe for persons with thyroid to consume because it minimises general toxicity in the body and promotes better health.