Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
435139 tn?1255460391

Anyone know about Green Tea?

Hi ladies, I'm 8w pregnant and I woke up today with no voice and then I got it but it is so raspy/hoarse/soar...I know it is from my allergies and post nasal drip and my asthma which kicked into high gear because the temps dropped pretty quickly here in MA.  I've had three cups of decaf green tea today and it is the only thing that seems to be helping...can too much green tea be bad?
5 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
404232 tn?1253965956
I have taken to drinking Chamomile Tea too. I have been unable to give up my one cup of coffee per day but I still like something hot to wind down after dinner so I have that instead of more coffee!!
Helpful - 0
489099 tn?1286220981
I drank natural Chamomile Tea with some honey & Lime. Im 31 weeks now and well never had any problems. Look it up...i did and i didnt find anything that changed my mind about drinking my nice hot tea.
Helpful - 0
503882 tn?1288843037
Yeah, I never realized that something as small as tea could cause such a problem.. Wow with how far everything is coming scientifically it seems like us pregnant women are just going to have to sit around in a big plastic bubble pretty soon.. and even then we would still have to worry about that weird toxic chemical! (forgot the name of it.. my brain is lost today lol)
Helpful - 0
435139 tn?1255460391
I just came across the same thing...I won't be drinking any more!  I guess I'm a nervous nelly!  I'd just hate to do something and mess something up-ya know!  Oh well, hopefully the three cups I had today won't interfere with my folate too much...I guess there are worse things that people do and still have healthy babies (drinking, drugs...)
Helpful - 0
503882 tn?1288843037
Pregnant women would be wise to limit the amount of green tea they drink during pregnancy, and should be careful about taking any green tea supplements. Green tea is rich in antioxidants, and has a host of health benefits relating to dental health, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and weight loss. But researchers have found, whilst examining the active constituent of green tea, the epigallocatechins, or EGCG for short, that it may affect the way the body uses folate. Folate is important for pregnant women as it prevents neural tube birth defects in babies.

The problem of green tea during pregnancy is that the EGCG molecules are structurally similar to a compound called methotrexate. Methotrexate is able to kill cancer cells by chemically bonding with an enzyme in the body called enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Healthy people have this enzyme also - it is part of what is called the folate pathway, which is the pathway, or steps, the body takes to transform nutrients like folate into something that can be used to support its normal functions.

But this chemical similarity means that the EGCG in green tea also binds with the enzyme DHFR, and when it does this, it inactivates this enzyme. When this enzyme is inactivated, the ability of the body to use folate is going to be affected. How much green tea is able to be consumed, or precisely how much folate absorption is affected, is unclear. Though the research article did say that drinking 2 cups of green tea a day can stop cancer cells (which is what methotrexate is targeting) from growing.

The good news on caffeine drank during pregnancy, from coffee and tea, is that a moderate amount is fine. Two studies, one by Danish scientists who interviewed more than 88,000 pregnant women, and the other by the Yale University School of Medicine, had similar findings on caffeine during pregnancy.

The concerns over caffeine were that it would lead to low birth weight or miscarriage. And this is still true of a very high daily intake of coffee. The Yale team found that drinking about 600mg of caffeine a day, which is about 6 cups of coffee, would reduce birth weight to levels that were clinically significant. The rate at which birth weight was reduced was established at being 28 grams per 100 mg, or 1 cup, of coffee per day. But they emphasized that this would not be significant for moderate caffeine consumption.

The Danish study found that drinking 8 cups or more of coffee per day (this would be about 16 cups or more of tea), would increase the chances of miscarriage, or stillbirth, by 60% compared to women who did not drink caffeine. They also found that moderate coffee or tea drinking did not pose significant risks. For those drinking half a cup to 3 cups of coffee a day, the risk of fetal death was 3% higher compared to non-caffeine drinkers. And for those drinking 4 to 7 cups of coffee a day, the risk increases to 33%. One cup of coffee equals about 2 cups of tea when comparing caffeine levels. The recommended amount of coffee drunk is up to 3 cups daily, or 6 cups of tea, by the UK food agency.


I found this.. I was actually pondering this post myself after reading yours because I have been craving the iced tea all the time and somedays I will drink 3 bottles of it! not so much the green tea though.. just the sweetened iced tea.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Pregnancy Community

Top Pregnancy Answerers
13167 tn?1327194124
Austin, TX
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Get information and tips on how to help you choose the right place to deliver your baby.
Get the facts on how twins and multiples are formed and your chance of carrying more than one baby at a time.
Learn about the risks and benefits of circumcision.
What to expect during the first hours after delivery.
Learn about early screening and test options for your pregnancy.
Learn about testing and treatment for GBS bacterium.