The Side Effects of Green Tea

The side effects one finds quoted for green tea are generally minor. They can form a long list but are really little different from the side effects you would associate with drinking any tea or any beverage that has caffeine and/or acts as a diuretic.

For example, you might find that consumption close to bedtime will not help insomnia if you are prone to that. As a diuretic it will aggravate urge incontinence. Excessive consumption of green tea may also increase the amount of stomach acid.

The tannin content in green tea might bring about constipation and a rise in blood pressure and possibly heart rate and increased blood sugar.

It all sounds most alarming when you list all the possibilities, but many of these factors could be the consequence of other factors in your diet. Reports of heartburn, upset stomach, irritability, headache, constipation, diarrhea and so on are things that most of us experience from time to time and could be the result of the many different factors that constitute our total diet.

Of course regular consumption of massive doses of green tea - or any tea for that matter - will result in caffeine dependency and eventual toxicity and will lead to other psychological problems.

All of that has to be put into perspective, however. The caffeine content of green tea is relatively low, certainly much less than in coffee, and less than most other teas. You would really have to drinking abnormal quantities of it to end up with caffeine dependency, much more than you need to derive the benefit of its anti-oxidant properties.

When you weigh up that against the consistently reported benefits such as prevention of certain types of cancers, reduced the risk of heart diseases and lowering of total cholesterol levels together with improvement in the ratio of good and the bad cholesterol.

Add to this reports of its effectiveness as an alternative to other weight loss products by increasing metabolism without over stimulating the adrenal glands, and, of course, its anti-oxidant properties it is clear that the consumption of green in sensible, non excessive doses provides significant net improvement to our well-being.

Having said that, however, some reports discourage the consumption of green tea, certainly in large quantities, by women in the early stages of pregnancy, as the tannin, caffeine and catechins in green tea increase risk of miscarriage and neural birth defect in babies. Also high levels of caffeine have been linked to fertility problems

A study has also found that green tea can reduce estrogen levels however there is strong anecdotal evidence that green tea and other herbs have a beneficial effect on postmenopausal symptoms.

The answer surely is drink green tea in moderation and the benefits will far outweigh the negatives.