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Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

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jlp63
LIF Adolescent

Member since 2/08

871 total posts

Name:
Jenn

Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

probably a stupid question, but I honestly don't know. Is green tea safe to drink while pregnant? Thanks!

Posted 3/12/09 2:23 PM
 
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HillW9608
Hello Summer!

Member since 5/08

5916 total posts

Name:
Hill

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

I drink it.. so I hope so.

Posted 3/12/09 2:28 PM
 

lilith628
LIF Toddler

Member since 11/08

374 total posts

Name:
Claire

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

I avoid it because I've read that green tea interferes with the absorption of folic acid.

Posted 3/12/09 2:29 PM
 

KristinasMama
How did she turn 2 so quickly?

Member since 10/07

8257 total posts

Name:
Blessed Mama of Kristina Elena

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

safe in terms of.....

Posted 3/12/09 2:29 PM
 

Faithx2
All good things in 2016!!

Member since 8/05

20181 total posts

Name:

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Posted by lilith628

I avoid it because I've read that green tea interferes with the absorption of folic acid.



Exactly. I avoided it while pregnant.

Posted 3/12/09 2:32 PM
 

jlp63
LIF Adolescent

Member since 2/08

871 total posts

Name:
Jenn

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Posted by BlessedMommy

Posted by lilith628

I avoid it because I've read that green tea interferes with the absorption of folic acid.



Exactly. I avoided it while pregnant.



Wow....thanks, I didn't know that. Chat Icon

Posted 3/12/09 2:33 PM
 

jlp63
LIF Adolescent

Member since 2/08

871 total posts

Name:
Jenn

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Posted by KristinasMama

safe in terms of.....



Safe in terms of does it harm the baby at all.

Posted 3/12/09 2:33 PM
 

pharmcat2000
Mom of 2 + 1

Member since 10/05

7395 total posts

Name:
Catherine

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

My doc said as long as it is decaf it is ok.

Posted 3/12/09 2:41 PM
 

jlp63
LIF Adolescent

Member since 2/08

871 total posts

Name:
Jenn

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

I just tried a google search, and while I didn't turn up much on green tea, I did find this on Babycenter about herbal tea in general:

"Many of the herbs used for teas, when taken in large or medicinal amounts, can potentially stimulate the uterus and induce miscarriage. These include anise, catnip, chamomile, comfrey, ephedra (called ma huang in traditional Chinese medicine), European mistletoe, hibiscus, horehound, Labrador, lemongrass, licorice root, mugwort, pennyroyal, raspberry leaf, rosemary, sage, sassafras, stinging nettle leaf, vetiver, and yarrow."

http://www.babycenter.com/0_herbal-teas-during-pregnancy_3537.bc

Interesting as I would have never thought chamomile tea would be dangerous.

Posted 3/12/09 2:46 PM
 

gabbie83
2 girls <3

Member since 6/08

3037 total posts

Name:
gabbie

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

my doc said in moderation

Posted 3/12/09 2:47 PM
 

Domino
Always My Miracle

Member since 9/05

9923 total posts

Name:

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

As long as its decaf and in moderation

Posted 3/12/09 2:48 PM
 

EricaAlt
LIF Adult

Member since 7/08

22665 total posts

Name:
Erica

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Posted by BlessedMommy

Posted by lilith628

I avoid it because I've read that green tea interferes with the absorption of folic acid.



Exactly. I avoided it while pregnant.



same here... it's good when you're trying to get pregnant and then I found that out so I stopped.

Posted 3/12/09 2:54 PM
 

heatherandrichie
xoxo

Member since 7/07

1384 total posts

Name:
Heather

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Posted by jlp63

I just tried a google search, and while I didn't turn up much on green tea, I did find this on Babycenter about herbal tea in general:

"Many of the herbs used for teas, when taken in large or medicinal amounts, can potentially stimulate the uterus and induce miscarriage. These include anise, catnip, chamomile, comfrey, ephedra (called ma huang in traditional Chinese medicine), European mistletoe, hibiscus, horehound, Labrador, lemongrass, licorice root, mugwort, pennyroyal, raspberry leaf, rosemary, sage, sassafras, stinging nettle leaf, vetiver, and yarrow."

http://www.babycenter.com/0_herbal-teas-during-pregnancy_3537.bc

Interesting as I would have never thought chamomile tea would be dangerous.

OH no! Catnip is my favorite Chat Icon Chat Icon Chat Icon Chat Icon

Posted 3/12/09 2:58 PM
 

NoWay09
LIF Infant

Member since 3/09

85 total posts

Name:

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Posted by jlp63

I just tried a google search, and while I didn't turn up much on green tea, I did find this on Babycenter about herbal tea in general:

"Many of the herbs used for teas, when taken in large or medicinal amounts, can potentially stimulate the uterus and induce miscarriage. These include anise, catnip, chamomile, comfrey, ephedra (called ma huang in traditional Chinese medicine), European mistletoe, hibiscus, horehound, Labrador, lemongrass, licorice root, mugwort, pennyroyal, raspberry leaf, rosemary, sage, sassafras, stinging nettle leaf, vetiver, and yarrow."

http://www.babycenter.com/0_herbal-teas-during-pregnancy_3537.bc

Interesting as I would have never thought chamomile tea would be dangerous.



wow, I just read that article. Interesting. Decaf breakfast tea is ok, right?

Your question wasn't stupid AT ALL! I just learned a lot!

Posted 3/12/09 3:01 PM
 

jlp63
LIF Adolescent

Member since 2/08

871 total posts

Name:
Jenn

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Thanks, ladies. I think I will avoid it.

Posted 3/12/09 3:31 PM
 

KristinasMama
How did she turn 2 so quickly?

Member since 10/07

8257 total posts

Name:
Blessed Mama of Kristina Elena

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Here's another article which I just found:

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.

References:
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=58807
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=24747
http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?id=63174
Herb pregnancy article
If you're interested in learning which herbs to avoid during pregnancy, which herbs are beneficial, and which help alleviate morning sickness, read this herb pregnancy article.

Posted 3/12/09 3:48 PM
 

jlp63
LIF Adolescent

Member since 2/08

871 total posts

Name:
Jenn

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Posted by KristinasMama

Here's another article which I just found:

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.

References:
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=58807
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=24747
http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?id=63174
Herb pregnancy article
If you're interested in learning which herbs to avoid during pregnancy, which herbs are beneficial, and which help alleviate morning sickness, read this herb pregnancy article.



Thanks a lot!!! Very helpful. Now, I am definitely not drinking it!Chat Icon

Posted 3/12/09 4:05 PM
 

Lillykat
going along for the ride...

Member since 5/05

16253 total posts

Name:

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

It is my understanding that green tea can inhibit the bodies ability to absorb folic acid.

I was told last pregnancy and again this one to avoid all herbal teas.

I like tea and do enjoy those but have switched to the english breakfast ones - like earl gray and the other kinds that are decafe.

Posted 3/12/09 5:47 PM
 

HillW9608
Hello Summer!

Member since 5/08

5916 total posts

Name:
Hill

Re: Green Tea - Is it safe to drink?

Ohh ok good to know.. I alternate between regular tea and green.. always decaf though. Maybe Ill stop that though.

Posted 3/12/09 6:10 PM
 
 

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