There is several green tea side effects that you probably want to know. Not only green tea, but other tea also can cause these side effects. Since green tea is unfermented, it may contain more of these chemicals than other tea. But you should take cautions with other kinds of tea as well.
Photo courtesy of chikache
The side effects are caused by 3 main reasons:
* Caffeine
* Aluminum
* Pesticides
Green tea side effects of caffeine
Before going into the green tea side effects caused by caffeine, here is some general information on caffeine in tea.
Caffeine molecules in tea are released into the blood stream slower than coffee. This creates long-lasting refreshing feelings. Tea leaves contain ~ 4% caffeine; the amount fluctuates depending on the kind of tea. The caffeine molecules can be easily dissolved when the leaves are placed in hot water.
Black tea contains the most amount of caffeine (~ 80 mg). Then comes Oolong tea with ~ 30 mg. Green tea takes the final place with ~ 17 mg. Compared to coffee — which has ~ 100 mg of caffeine, tea only contains less than half that amount. Five minutes of infusion will extract only ~ 3/4 of the caffeine in tea.
Instant tea has ~ 50 mg while iced tea contains about ~ 40mg. The bigger the size of the dried tea leaves, the smaller the surface area, the lesser the amount of caffeine are released from the leaves.
The first side effect from the caffeine is the loss of sleep. Tea contains much less caffeine in coffee. So tea doesn’t pose a high risk of developing of severe loss of sleep as coffee does.
Regular intakes of high amount of caffeine cause the brain cells to be addicted to the stimulating effects. People would continue to experience mental alertness but their physiques are already exhausted. Often, these people would feel very sleepy but couldn’t be able to sleep because their brains are still too active.
The second problem is caffeine allergies. People suffer from caffeine allergies may experience itchiness after high consumption of caffeinated – drink like sodas, coffee, or tea. Also caffeine has the effects of increasing heart beat and breathing rate. Therefore people with heart diseases and high blood pressure should consult with the doctors before drinking tea.For women who may be suffering from early stage of breast cancer, at the beginning of menstrual cycles, or think they may be pregnant, caffeinated tea can deteriorate their conditions.
If you are uncertain about the side effects you may or will experience, you can choose the decaffeinated teas. The caffeine are removed in these types of teas, allowing you to enjoy this wonderful drink without worrying about the side effects of caffeine in tea.
The green tea side effects from Aluminum.
Aluminum is considered a poisonous mineral. Excess ingestion of aluminum can lead to serious bones and brain damage. Tea contains an adequate amount of aluminum. But aluminum exists as in complex form in tea instead of ionic form. Any mineral that is in ionic form are easily absorbed into the blood stream.
Due to the complex form, aluminum in tea are not readily absorbed into the blood. Only 1-2% is dissolved into the body. Usually, this small amount isn’t significant to cause any problem. But you should check with your doctor to see if you may be allergy to aluminum.
The green tea side effects from pesticides in the leaves
This green tea side effect is often resulted from the growing process. The problem is the pesticide residue in tea leaves. In China, India, or many other growing regions of tea, people often use pesticide on the tea plants to prevent fungi and insects from attacking the roots, the leaves, and buds.
Pesticide is not only used on tea plants, but also on most of the fruit plants and vegetables. This ensures the success of the harvests. The leaves are then often picked and collected in very large quantities. It’s difficult to wash all of the leaves. Sometimes, a few tea leaves are not submerged in the water. Thus they wouldn’t be clean properly.
Nowadays, there is so much competition in the tea industry. Each country is forced to make sure that their tea products have the highest qualities and the safest. Tea producers are trying to find new ways to protect the plants from insects and fungi without using chemicals. It is a good idea to talk to your doctor about any green tea side effect before drinking tea. If you feel sick and nausea, you should go to the doctor right away to see if you ingest any pesticide or have any other allergy toward tea.