Green Tea :- Positive & Negative Effects

GREEN TEA : Health Benefits & Negative Effect

Green tea, native to India and China, has been consumed and hailed for its health benefits for centuries globally, but has only recently gained popularity in the new age economies.

Only in recent years scientists have been investigating its medicinal properties, and EHC recognizes the healthy power of tea while helping readers get the most out of their cups.
In China, there is a proverb that “better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea of one.” They were using the tea as a cure of headache to depression. Now it has spread to all parts of the world and became synonymous to health drink. Over the last few decades, green tea has undergone many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long health benefits. Some evidence suggests that regular green tea drinkers may have lower chances of heart disease. Tea’s health benefits are largely due to its high content of flavonoids – plant-derived compounds that are antioxidants. Let’s look at some of the benefits of green tea.
Against Cancer – Green tea helps reduce the risk of cancer. The antioxidant in green tea is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 24 times better than vitamin E. This helps your body at protecting cells from damage believed to be linked to cancer.
Against Herpes – Green tea increases the effectiveness of topical interferon treatment of herpes. First green tea compress is applied, and then let the skin dry before the interferon treatment.
Against Heart Disease – Green tea helps prevent heart disease and stroke by lowering the level of cholesterol. Even after the heart attack it prevents cell deaths and speeds up the recovery of heart cells.
Anti-aging – Green tea contains an antioxidant known as polyphenols which fight against free radicals. What this means it helps you fight against aging and promotes longevity.
Weight Loss – Green tea helps with your body weight loss. Green tea burns fat and boosts your metabolism rate naturally. It can help you burn up to 70 calories in just one day. That translates to 7 pounds in one year.
Protects Skin – It reduces the damage caused by free radicals and too much sunlight. It even helps prevent skin cancer.
Lowers Cholesterol – At the same time, it increases the ratio of good to bad cholesterol.
Boosts Memory – For this reasonm it may be beneficial for people with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Immune Booster – Its vitamin C content and the potent antioxidants inside make boost the immune system. So much so that some people claim they use it to recover from colds and flu.
Against Asthma – It contains theophyline that can reduce the muscles, even the ones supporting the bronchial tubes.
Reduces Anxiety – L-theanine (a type of amino acid) has relaxing effects.
Against Allergies – EGCG is considered the most important of green tea’s agents. When you buy green tea extract, usually its EGCG content is prominently displayed. This antioxidant proved to be beneficial in relieving allergies.
Against Arthritis – Green tea can help prevent and reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Green tea has benefit for your health as it protects the cartilage by blocking the enzyme that destroys cartilage.
For Bones – The very key to this is high fluoride content found in green tea. It helps keep your bones strong. If you drink green tea every day, this will help you preserve your bone density.
Early research indicates that it may help stop HIV spreading in the immune system. A Japanese study indicates that EGCG prevents HIV viruses from binding with healthy white blood cells. Green tea has a long tradition in Japan.

Green tea can even help in preventing tooth decay. As the bacteria destroying abilities of green tea helps in preventing food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that cause dental plaque.
Drinking a cup of tea a few times a day helps in absorbing antioxidants and other healthful plant compounds. In green-tea drinking cultures, the usual amount is three cups per day. Allow tea to steep for three to five minutes to bring out its catechins. The best way to get the catechins and other flavonoids in tea is to drink it freshly brewed. Decaffeinated, bottled ready-to-drink tea preparations, and instant teas have less of these compounds. Tea can impede the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables. Adding lemon or milk or drinking tea between meals will counteract this problem.

The negative effects of green tea

Green tea is a beverage made from extracts from the Camellia sinensis plant.

Green tea is often used to increase mental awareness, prevent dizziness upon standing and reducing the risk of bladder, esophageal, pancreatic and ovarian cancer. However, as with most supplements, there are negative effects associated with imbibing green tea.

Allergic response

In rare cases, you may develop a severe allergic reaction to green tea. Difficulty breathing, tightness or closing of your throat, hives and swelling of the face and tongue are all possible symptoms of an allergic response, Drugs.com warns. If you experience any of these effects right after taking green tea, seek immediate medical attention. Severe allergic responses can lead to respiratory arrest and death. Once you know you are allergic to green tea, avoid it and any other foods or beverages that contain it

Gastrointestinal effects

Green tea can negatively affect your digestive system, according to MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. Some people taking green tea will develop stomach pain, heartburn and constipation. Conversely, some patients will experience severe diarrhea once they take large amounts of green tea. Furthermore, green tea decreases the rate your gastrointestinal can absorb iron. This decrease in iron absorption may lead to iron-deficiency anemia.

Psychological effects

Large doses of green tea, usually more than 5 cups a day, may cause changes in behavior and other psychological effects. You may experience an increased sense of nervousness and anxiety, Drugs.com reports. Some patients will become more irritable and possible violent. You may also notice that you are having problems in sleeping. These negative effects disappear as the dosage of green tea is decreased.

Caffeine overdose

One of the more severe side effects of green tea is a caffeine overdose. Excessive and long-term intake of green tea increases the amount of caffeine within the body . The initial symptoms of caffeine overdose include a severe headache, abnormal heartbeat, tremors, dizziness, convulsions, confusion and a ringing sensation in the ears, MedlinePlus notes. Dosages greater than 10 g to 14 g per kg can kill you. If you think you have overdosed on green tea, seek emergency medical attention.

Kidney Stones

While high fluid intake is commonly recommended in people who have a history of kidney stones, tea has been found to increase the oxalate levels in the urine. Calcium oxalate stones are one of the more common types of kidney stones. There are concerns among some health care professionals that drinking tea can increase the risk of stone development.

Medication Interactions

Green tea can interact with a number of medications or supplements. Among the most important of these, green tea may inhibit the action of adenosine, a heart medication; reduce the sedative effects of benzodiazepines; increase blood pressure in people who take propanolol and metoprolol, and reduce the effects of lithium and clozapine, which are taken for mental illness. Green tea may cause a severe increase in blood pressure in people who take monoamine oxidase inhibitors, which are used to treat depression. Green tea in high amounts can interfere with the anticoagulant Coumadin, making it less effective. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, tea can also interfere with the absorption of iron from plant substances and supplements; a cup of tea can decrease the amount of iron absorbed by about 70 percent.

Cancer

When it comes to cancer, green tea has pluses and minuses. Although green tea shows some promise in various studies on cancer prevention, the University of Maryland notes that at least one large study indicated it may increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and that the stronger and hotter the tea, the higher the risk. Green tea also has mixed results in chemotherapy. The combination of green tea with doxorubicin and tamoxifen showed the drugs were more effective in laboratory tests. But green tea extract can stimulate a gene in prostate cancer cells that may decrease sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs, and the University of Maryland recommends that men receiving chemotherapy for prostate cancer should not drink green tea.