Wizard of Vitamins

Green Tea Vitamin

What is Green Tea?

Green Tea in Diets

Green Tea Medicinal Treatments

Atherosclerosis Cervical dysplasia (poly E or (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate) Colon cancer (reduces risk) High cholesterol Leukoplakia Prostate cancer (risk reduction) Sunburn Tooth decay Weight loss Breast cancer (risk reduction) Crohn’s disease Hemochromatosis (iron overload) High triglycerides Hives Immune function Infection Leukemia Lung cancer (risk reduction)

Known Consequences of Green Tea Deficiency

Green Tea Recommended Dosages

Much of the research documenting the health benefits of green tea is based on the amount of green tea typically consumed in Asian countries—about 3 cups (750 ml) per day (providing 240–320 mg of polyphenols). However, other research suggests as much as 10 cups (2,500 ml) per day is necessary to obtain noticeable benefits from green tea ingestion. To brew green tea, 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of green tea leaves are combined with 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water and steeped for three minutes. Decaffeinated tea is recommended to reduce the side effects associated with caffeine, including anxiety and insomnia. Tablets and capsules containing standardized extracts of polyphenols, particularly EGCG, are available. Some provide up to 97% polyphenol content—which is equivalent to drinking 4 cups (1,000 ml) of tea. Many of these standardized products are decaffeinated.

Green Tea Side Effects

Green tea is generally free of side effects. The most common adverse effects reported from consuming large amounts (several cups per day) of green tea are insomnia, anxiety, and other symptoms caused by the caffeine content in the herb. An extract of green tea taken by healthy women with a meal inhibited the absorption of non-heme iron (e.g., the form of iron in plant foods) by 26%. Frequent use of green tea could, in theory, promote the development of iron deficiency in susceptible individuals. There are several case reports of people developing liver damage while consuming weight-loss products that contained concentrated extracts of green tea. A cause–effect relationship was not proven, and most of the products contained other ingredients in addition to green tea extract. Nevertheless, researchers have cautioned against the use of large amounts, or concentrated extracts, of green tea. Certain medicines may interact with green tea. Refer to drug interactions for a list of those medicines.