Between its antioxidant properties and metabolism boosting supremacy, tea is a miracle in your cup. While there are tons of reasons to down a mug each day, many are curious if a single mug can provide them with the acclaimed benefits. Before you go guzzling, learn if it’s possible to drink a lot of a beneficial beverage.
In a research published by the Journal of Functional Foods, scientists reveal how excessive exposure to tea weakened the reproductive capability of fruit flies as well as the healthy development of offspring. Fruit flies are frequently used to study humans because we share 75% of the genes that cause diseases.
While it may be unclear if tea has the same effect on humans, the researchers say that the outcomes warrant caution against drinking too much tea. Tea is extracted from the fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis plant. Because it doesn’t undergo much processing, it retains a lot of chemicals which can either be beneficial or detrimental to your health depending on consumption levels.
The good and the bad
Previous research has applauded the beverage, saying that I boasts a hoard of health reimbursements. It is linked to everything from enhanced memory and cancer prevention to weight loss and cholesterol reduction. Plus, there are lots of fun and creative ways to enhance it (for example in smoothies and chocolate) or use it.
Unfortunately, you’ve also probably heard of the downsides and side effects of this great stuff. Take the case of the 16-year-old girl who ended up being hospitalised for critical liver damage after drinking 3 cups of green tea. You may also want to hear the story of the 47-year-old woman published in New England Journal of Medicine after she developed brittle bones and lost all her teeth because of tea.
How much tea is safe?
‘I wouldn’t tell anyone to stop drinking tea,’ says nephrologist Randy Luciano of Yale School of Medicine, after a man suffered renal failure because his intake constituted a lot of tea. ‘Two or three mugs would be considered safe if you’re not eating other oxalates,’ the nephrologist explained. ‘However, if someone is also eating oxalate foods such as spinach, even two mugs could be harmful.’
So if you find yourself drinking a glass or two every day, you’re certainly doing things right. Conversely, drinking up to five cups a day can be destructive rather than constructive. Even if you want to lose weight or boost metabolism, 10 cups is probably going to be too much for the system regardless of the benefits.
Try not to overdo it
Tea contains tannin which decreases absorption of folic acid, a vitamin that helps reduce birth defects. If you’re pregnant or suffering from an autoimmune disease, you may want to limit your consumption or refrain altogether. Overdoing it because of supplements meant to help in weight loss can also inhibit your liver from performing its job well, potentially leading to failure.
This is a general reminder of the misguidedness of extreme consumption, even of something as healthy as tea and spinach. People have developed diseases as serious as kidney failure from oxalate foods including peanuts and wheat bran. But again, these cases are very rare and can by no means be taken to categorically crucify these foods.
Tips for drinking tea properly
Never take tea before meals. If you do this, you will dilute gastric juices, and they won’t be able to digest food well. Additionally, the high absorbency rate of the water in tea can cause an increase in caffeine absorption causing you to experience stress, dizziness and maybe even neurasthenia in both your hands and feet.
Avoid drinking tea after meals. As mentioned earlier, teas contain tannin, specifically black tea. High levels of it can react with iron in food. On the brighter side, though, tea can aid in digestion if taken one hour after a meal. In general, tea’s good benefits far outweigh the risks.
Bottom line
Just because a little of something is good doesn’t necessarily mean a lot will be good too; simultaneously, if a lot of it is not good it doesn’t mean a little will be good. When you drink tea in the right amounts and at the proper times, it can be the healthiest drink for your body and mind. How many cups of tea do you drink in a day?
