Be Careful When Drinking Green Tea during Pregnancy
Food is one of the factors that take greater importance during pregnancy. So it is essential that we are clear about which foods to eat and avoid during pregnancy. And one of the most common questions asked are –
- Can I drink green tea in pregnancy, since it has theine and caffeine?
- Is green tea suitable for the perfect development of the fetus during all the 9 months of the pregnancy?
First of all, it is important for you to know that green tea has numerous benefits for health because of its high antioxidant content or its diuretic power. However, in addition to all the positive properties, it is also worth mentioning that green tea contains caffeine, an stimulating substance that can cause adverse effects such as nervousness, irritability, sleep disturbances, etc.
Green tea during pregnancy
Thus, although green tea in particular provides lower levels of theine than other types of tea, such as black tea, the truth is that an excess of this tea can be harmful during pregnancy. This type of medicinal herb contains some compounds that may affect the development of the fetus during pregnancy. For this reason, green tea consumption should be limited during pregnancy and avoid drinking too much caffeine or theine throughout the day.
How much green tea is recommended for pregnant women?
Likewise, the amount of tea you can consume during pregnancy will also depend on the other exciting foods you drink: coffee, chocolates, cola, etc. If none of these other caffeinated products are part of your diet, drinking a cup of green tea will not be a problem, while if you already consume other foods that can cause excitement, it is best not to drink tea.
Studies conducted in pregnant women show that exceeding 200mg of caffeine per day also increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. Therefore, it is not recommended to exceed this dose.
In another study it has been revealed that high consumption of green tea has been linked to babies born with neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. This is because green tea hinders the absorption of folic acid due to the catechins it has in its composition.
Thus, the most advisable during pregnancy is to consume about 3 or 4 cups of green tea. This seems to be safe, as long as food rich in caffeine and other antioxidants such as coffee or other types of infusions are not part of daily diet.
Nilam is the owner and writer of EverydayCares.com. She is an experienced pharmaceutical professional and believes that many of the health problems can be cured naturally at home. She enjoys reading scholarly medical journals and gets inspiration to write up-to-date practical information and resources and makes sure all of the articles are of the highest quality. The best way to reach her is via [email protected]
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