There’s no denying that green tea is one of the healthiest beverages on the face of the planet. It doesn’t really come as a surprise since every cup of it is packed with antioxidants that fight off oxidative stress and inflammation, plus a host of micronutrients such as zinc, manganese, and vitamins A, B and C.
Despite of the fact that it’s extremely good for you, having more green tea than needed can do more harm than good!
According to health experts, it’s a good idea for you to limit your consumption of green tea to no more than 5 cups per day if you are a heavy green tea drinker — others recommend sticking to just a couple of cups of green tea per day.
If it seems like you are never seen without a cup of green tea in your hand, keep on reading. Below you will come across some of the telltale signs that you are having too much green tea.
Rapid Heart Rate and High Blood Pressure
If you’re consuming several cups of green tea per day, it’s very much possible for you to wind up with heart palpitations and even elevated blood pressure as a result of ingesting too much caffeine.
Especially if you are diagnosed with a heart-related condition, getting your heart pounding heavily and your blood pressure rising uncontrollably is certainly a terrible idea!
Ask your doctor how many cups of green tea a day you may consume if you have hypertension, cardiovascular disease or any other medical condition in order to keep potential complications at bay.
Increased Stress and Anxiety
A lot of people who are leading very stressful lives count on a cup of green tea each time they wish to unwind. While it’s true that green tea actually has soothing properties, ingesting tons of it may leave you even more stressed — having lots of caffeine in your bloodstream can in fact cause the release of stress hormones.
Winding up feeling more anxious is also very much a possibility if you are drinking several cups of green tea per day.
To reap the mental and physical calming properties of green tea, it’s recommended to stick to drinking just a few cups of it a day. Otherwise, this healthy beverage will only do more harm than good for your stress and anxiety levels.
Paleness, Fatigue and Shortness of Breath
There is a possibility for you to end up battling iron-deficiency anemia, a blood condition characterized by having insufficient red blood cells or RBCs, if you are fond of drinking lots and lots of green tea per day, say health experts.
It’s for the fact that green tea has the ability to keep your body from absorbing iron from iron-containing foods such as red meat, fish, whole grains, spinach and beans. This is why the intake of green tea right after having a meal is strongly discouraged by scientists as you may wind up suffering from iron-deficiency anemia.
Some of the signs and symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia include fatigue, dizziness, pale skin, cold hands and feet, chest pain, shortness of breath and a rapid heart rate.
An Upset Stomach and Diarrhea
Other than antioxidants and a bunch of micronutrients, there are also tannins present in green tea. Put simply, tannins are plant-based compounds possessing astringent properties — they are capable of shrinking some of the tissues in your body. Ingesting lots of tannins can leave you experiencing mouth dryness, nausea and an upset stomach.
There is also a huge possibility of you having diarrhea all the time if you love drinking lots of green tea. Such can be blamed on the laxative properties of caffeine.
The problem with suffering from diarrhea constantly is that you may wind up dehydrated, and it’s not a good idea to rob your cells and tissues of much-needed water and also electrolytes.