Tea contains many health benefits, but drinking it can cause some adverse effects such as insomnia, anxiety, headaches and iron deficiency. Candidate of medical sciences, nutritionist, cardiologist Svetlana Pavlichenko, general director of the ANO Research Center for Healthy Nutrition, told socialbites.ca.
According to the expert, teas contain a large amount of amino acids, vitamins, minerals and polyphenols, which are active metabolites beneficial to human health. They are powerful antioxidants, protect plants from UV radiation, fight microorganisms.
“The antioxidant properties of polyphenols protect body cells from free radicals. It is known that these substances can reduce the risk of cardiovascular and some chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.
The doctor noted that green tea is considered the most useful – it contains more polyphenols than any other type. In addition, green tea and oolong tea contain large amounts of beneficial epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from the group of polyphenols.
“EGCG has a positive effect on body weight and lipid profile as it lowers blood triglyceride levels. Some countries have functional beverages with high EGCG content. However, since high doses of EGCG can cause liver damage, adversely affect kidney function, and increase the risk of developing tumors, their use is limited by recommendations to consume no more than 1 bottle per day,” warned Svetlana Pavlichenko.
Black tea, on the other hand, contains less polyphenols, but because it contains fluoride, it can reduce the risk of tooth decay. Also, black tea contains small amounts of theophylline, a metabolite of caffeine. Theophylline affects the tone of the bronchi and blood vessels and is used to treat certain diseases, especially lung diseases.
“Tea also contains caffeine, and this is what can be harmful to health. Caffeine has a stimulating effect on the nervous system, and if consumed in excess, it can cause insomnia, anxiety and adversely affect the cardiovascular system. Also, drinking too much tea can lead to iron deficiency, because the tannins in tea can be extracted from food. can interfere with the absorption of ingested iron,” explains Ph.D.
Drinking strong tea can lead to an overdose of caffeine and other active ingredients found in tea, according to a cardiologist.
“This can cause headaches in addition to insomnia and anxiety, and may lead to high blood pressure and palpitations in some people. Cases of fluorosis associated with excessive tea consumption have also been described. Therefore, the use of strong tea should be limited to moderate amounts and should take into account your personal health characteristics.” .
He added that consuming between 2 and 10 cups of tea a day would not do any harm.
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