Green Tea: Side effects you need to know!

Zee Media Bureau/Udita Madan

​New Delhi: Green tea is considered the go-to beverage in most households and has steadily been gaining popularity as a natural source of energy.

Green tea has many health benefits apart from a number of healing properties. Whether you're ill, tired, upset or just generally need a hot beverage, then green tea becomes your confidante.

Everyone is aware of the numerous health benefits of the hot drink, however, there are some negative effects of the drink that you should be aware of. Knowing about them will help you optimize your green tea intake.

1. Caffeine consumption: Green is a healthy drink, no doubt, but it still is a "tea" which means that it contains significant amount of caffeine. Enjoy your hot cuppa, however, don't drink it in excess as too much caffeine may cause side-effects such as anxiety and nervousness.

2. Osteoporosis: The properties in green tea impacts directly on the calcium deposited in your body. Drinking too much of green tea may eliminate more calcium from the body through urination, leading to calcium deficiency. It is best to limit your green tea intake to two cupfuls a day.

3. Pregnant or lactating mothers: Green tea should be avoided by pregnant and lactating mothers, since consumption of the beverage during pregnancy may pose higher risk of miscarriage and other side-effects. Caffeine in green tea may find its way into breast milk in lactating mothers and affect the infant. However, if cutting out green tea from your daily life is difficult, then limit yourself to not more than two cupfuls a day.

4. Medical interference: Green tea may cause problems if you're taking medication such as stimulants, hormones, antibiotics, blood thinners or any drug that poses a risk of liver damage. It can also worsen certain conditions such as diarrhoea, glaucoma and bleeding disorders. Therefore, avoid green tea while you are on heavy medication.

5. Iron deficiency: Drinking more green tea may affect the absorption rate of iron into the body. You can drink a couple of cups of green tea without any risk of poor iron absorption rate; moreover, you can add a pinch of lemon juice in your green tea to improve iron absorption.

6. Empty stomach: People often seek relief in green tea when their stomach is empty, especially when they are fasting. You may want to give that a second a thought, since it may do more harm than good. Drinking green tea on an empty stomach may cause toxicity.

A bonus advice to you would be not to add sugar to your cup of green tea, since that would not only increase your calorie intake, but would also diminish the health properties of the beverage and make it like any other sweetened drink.