Why do they drink tea? There are connoisseurs who prefer to drink only elite varieties of tea, enjoying the drink and holding tea ceremonies. Some people drink tea to quench their thirst. Many people choose tea for a pleasant tea party in good company. This drink relaxes, tones, and saturates the body with beneficial properties. But is it harmful to drink a lot of tea? Can it cause harm?
Large amounts of tea: harm or benefit
Excessive consumption of tea can affect the functioning of internal organs and the general condition of the body. Why shouldn't you drink large amounts of tea?
- milder in action than coffee, but it increases blood pressure, causes insomnia, and affects the nervous system. If you drink tea frequently, you may experience nervousness, irritability, and decreased concentration.
- Tannin, which is found in tea tree leaves, is a toxic element. It affects the secreted gastric juice and disrupts the digestion process.
- Green tea has a high concentration of fluoride. It negatively affects the condition of bones and teeth. Drinking in excessive quantities can lead to a condition resembling poisoning.
- Those who are worried about stomach ulcers or frequent attacks of heartburn need to be careful and not drink too much green tea. Although you shouldn’t overuse black tea, in case of gastrointestinal diseases, it also negatively affects the gastric mucosa.
- Too much tea is harmful, because it is a diuretic. Uric acid is deposited in the joints, leading to arthritis and gout.
- Women suffering from PMS may feel an increase in unpleasant symptoms after drinking a lot of tea.
- Drinking tea in large doses is dangerous; it can cause headaches, dizziness, insomnia, lethargy, and sore throat.
As you can see, everything is good only in moderation, tea is no exception. It should not be abused. Especially, you should not drink a low-quality product, bagged tea, consisting of tea dust. It is necessary to follow the rules for consuming tea so that it does not cause harm.
Why can't you drink yesterday's tea?
Tea leaves contain more than 200 different chemical compounds that are harmless to human health. It is recommended to drink only freshly brewed tea so that all substances and compounds are not destroyed. Once the tea infusion sits for several hours, vitamins C and B completely evaporate. When brewing for a long time in a thermos or cooking on the stove, chemical processes occur in tea leaves that completely change not only the taste of the drink, its color and aroma, but also its composition.
Which has been infused for a long time, people suffering from problems with the cardiovascular system should not drink. It contains what is harmful to people with central nervous system diseases. The increased amount of guanine in yesterday's tea is harmful to people with gout.
Is it harmful to drink tea at night?
In the evening? It is not harmful to drink only clean water at night. And then in small quantities so that you can sleep soundly until the morning. But coffee and tea at night will lead to insomnia, anxiety, and restlessness. At night, our body should rest, relax, and not digest the absorbed liquid all night, including the heart and kidneys. Therefore, you should avoid evening tea parties.
Should I drink tea after meals?
Rules for drinking tea
- You should not drink strong tea, it will cause headaches and insomnia.
- It is recommended to drink the drink 40-60 minutes after a meal. Those who drink it on an empty stomach experience nausea and epigastric pain.
- If you take medications, you should not take them with tea.
- The tea temperature should be no more than 65 degrees. A drink that is too cold and scalding is harmful to the body.
How much tea can you drink per day
Everyone determines for themselves what amount of tea is optimal. For some, it is enough to drink two cups of tea, while others drink five cups without any problems.
Experts believe that up to 5 cups of weak, freshly brewed tea can be drunk without fear that the drink will negatively affect the body. In small quantities, tea will only provide benefits and share all the beneficial substances that it contains.
Lovers of strong drinks should not exceed a dose of 2-3 mugs. Place no more than 3 grams of tea leaves on one mug. Then only 5-10 grams of pure tea will be consumed per day. It is better to brew tea in small portions so that the entire amount can be drunk at once.
“Shouldn’t we have some tea?” Most of us greet and see off guests with this phrase. The aromatic drink is considered a healing potion, and drinking it is a special tradition. If the tea is also green, no one doubts its medicinal properties: Rich in antioxidants, invigorating, cholesterol-lowering, detoxifying and an ideal topical anti-inflammatory.
Can I drink green tea?
In the East, green and white tea are considered the healthiest. Then there are yellow, red and black varieties. Many people do not know that tea contains 4 times more caffeine than coffee. But from dry tea leaves, caffeine is not completely extracted into the drink; its actual content is always lower.
The post-Soviet tradition of drinking tea is similar to a tea ceremony in Through the Looking Glass, “in which everyone drinks tea like crazy.” We like to drink tea after breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a couple of cups between work to quench our thirst. And always, when you are bored, you can pass the time with a fragrant drink. It seems to me that this is a lot.
Why you shouldn’t get carried away with tea drinking and what problems can arise from long-term consumption of green or black tea.
- Bone destruction
Strongly brewed black tea contains a high concentration of fluoride, which, when consumed in excess, destroys calcium compounds. First of all, tooth enamel suffers, teeth turn yellow, and caries occurs. The risk of developing skeletal diseases increases fluorosis and osteoporosis- excessive fragility of bones. Therefore, do not overuse tea leaves during preparation and infuse the drink for no more than 3–5 minutes.
- Yellow teeth
Look at your cup: if there is plaque on its walls, it is better to discard the tea that was brewed in it. After all, plaque stains not only the snow-white surface of the mug, but also the enamel of your teeth! Most often this concerns cheap tea bags; they may contain not only dyes and flavors, but also low-quality tea leaves.
- Heavy metals
In 2013, the Canadian Journal of Toxicology published the results of a study of bagged tea from different manufacturers. Toxicologists found lead, aluminum, arsenic and cadmium in all samples! Heavy metals enter the plant from contaminated soil, and their concentration directly depends on brewing. The maximum amount of toxic substances is released into tea if it is brewed for 15–17 minutes. Do not steep the drink for more than 3 minutes. It is better to give preference to white tea, the leaves of which do not have time to accumulate harmful substances, because they are picked young.
- Nose bleed
The habit of drinking boiling tea can have a bad effect on the vessels of the nasopharynx and provoke bleeding. Regular consumption of hot food and drinks destroys the walls of the esophagus, and cancerous tumors often appear at burn sites. You don’t have to wait long to get the optimal tea temperature (50–60°). Let it brew for 5-7 minutes and the drink is ready.
- Insomnia
To the question about is it possible to drink green tea at night, the doctors answer in the affirmative: “Under no circumstances!” Caffeine and essential oils increase heart rate and pulse, blood flow accelerates, the adrenal glands secrete more adrenaline, and the central nervous system and brain become excited. In the evening, it is better to refrain from all types of tea and coffee, limiting yourself to herbal drinks.
- Neutralizes the effect of drugs
When you are sick and have a fever, you should not get carried away with strong tea. It contains theophylline, which has a diuretic effect and reduces the effectiveness antipyretic drugs. You should not drink nitrogen-containing drugs with tea (“Papaverine”, “Codeine”, “Caffeine”, “Eufillin”, cardiac glycosides and others). They form sediment when interacting with tea tannins and can be bad for the heart.
- Iron-deficiency anemia
Back in 2011, American scientists found that tea blocks the absorption of iron. Regular consumption of tea with meals provokes iron deficiency anemia with unpleasant consequences. The condition of the skin and hair worsens, the person feels lethargic and fatigued. Do not overuse tea for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is recommended to wait 20 minutes before or after eating. To normalize iron levels, it is not enough to give up the drink. You need to take special medications prescribed by your doctor.
- Can pregnant women have green tea?
During pregnancy, it is better to avoid drinking drinks that contain caffeine. According to Japanese studies, 5 cups of green tea per day leads to underweight in newborns. In addition, having a pronounced diuretic effect, tea increases the load on the mother’s kidneys. Green tea reduces the efficiency of absorption folic acid. And it is one of the most important elements necessary for the proper development of a child! It is better to limit tea consumption during pregnancy, optimally no more than 2 cups per day.
Like many herbal teas, tea leaves can accumulate pyrrolizidine alkaloids, plant toxins. In 86% of samples herbal teas for children, pregnant and lactating women these substances were detected. They pose no danger to a healthy person. The threat exists for unborn children and low-birth-weight breastfed infants, who receive toxins from their mother.
Interestingly, both black and green tea are made from the same plant. The difference lies in the processing method. However, the effects of green and black tea on the body differ in many aspects, although they are similar in many ways. Black tea goes through a longer processing chain. Ultimately, many useful substances are lost. This is why experts consider green tea a healthier drink.
It is worth noting that green and black teas contain large quantities of bioactive substances that can have both negative and positive effects on the human body. Of course, first of all we are talking about caffeine and theophylline. In addition, many types of tea contain essential oils, which do not behave well during the brewing process.
The benefits and harms of tea
Among the beneficial properties of both green and black tea, one can note its abilities. It effectively relieves fatigue, normalizes the nervous and digestive systems, heals blood vessels, activates metabolism, and has a beneficial effect on cardiac activity.
Tea has a beneficial effect on cells, effectively slowing down their aging, thereby prolonging life. It is worth noting that it is tea leaves that have the ability to provide the much-needed rejuvenation effect.
It is known that tea contains tannin, which destroys a large number of bacteria, thereby preventing diseases such as enteritis, sore throat, stomatitis and intestinal infections.
Despite the numerous advantages of both black and green tea, we should not forget about the dangers of this drink.
Too hot tea can burn the internal organs of the body. Due to the powerful stimulation of the stomach and esophagus, painful changes in these organs may begin.
Tea should be drunk fresh. Otherwise, it is worth remembering that already 20-30 minutes after brewing it, the process of oxidation of aromatic components, essential oils, lipids, and phenol begins.
If you drink black tea for a long time and often, your teeth enamel may turn yellow. And green tea often destroys the enamel on your teeth.
Strongly brewed tea contains large amounts of caffeine and theine, so it can cause insomnia or severe headaches. In addition, strong tea negatively affects cardiac activity.
You may never be too rich or too thin, but you certainly can drink too much tea.
Doctors at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit saw a 47-year-old woman who suffered from severe pain in her lower back, hips, legs and arms. In addition, all her teeth crumbled and fell out.
Clearly something was happening to her skeletal system. Indeed, an x-ray showed signs of a painful pathology in her spine called skeletal fluorosis.
Doctors took a blood test from her to determine the level of fluoride in her body. As the article states, a liter of blood in a normal healthy person contains less than 0.10 milligrams of fluoride, but this patient's fluoride level was 0.43 mg.
Skeletal fluorosis can affect people who drink water with high levels of fluoride (higher than in parts of the United States where fluoride is specifically added to tap water). According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who inhale dust or smoke containing fluoride compounds at work are also at risk.
The Michigan patient was not exposed to any harmful dust or smoke, but she admitted to drinking a lot of black tea.
Research has shown that for most people, black tea is not a source of excess fluoride - typically 1-5 milligrams per liter of tea, although some experts report higher concentrations, reaching up to 9 milligrams per liter of tea. However, it is known that tea drinkers who drink large quantities of it develop skeletal fluorosis.
For example, a 2011 study report published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reported on a 48-year-old patient who developed fluorosis after drinking at least 4 drinks per day for over 30 years. up to 7.5 liters of orange peco tea leaves. And a 2008 study article published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research reported on a 49-year-old woman who developed skeletal fluorosis as a result of eating daily food since she was 12 years old. I drank 7.5 liters of instant tea.
What was different about our patient from Michigan? She told doctors that she had been drinking a large mug of tea every day for the past 17 years. True, this tea was not the kind you usually drink - she brewed 100-150 tea bags in a mug of water (apparently the mug was not a small one).
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.
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