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Dec 26, 2023 · Shutterstock. According to a 2013 study, drinking up to four cups of green tea a day can reduce body weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure. However, consuming green tea in excess doesn't necessarily translate to accelerated weight loss and could lead to unwanted side effects.
- Overview
- Green Tea Is Linked to Many Health Benefits
- How Much Green Tea Is Optimal?
- Possible Side Effects of Drinking Green Tea
- The Bottom Line
To get the most benefit from green tea, you may need to drink three to five cups per day. But this can vary based on personal factors and the specific benefits you’re looking for.
Green tea is a popular beverage consumed worldwide.
In recent years, it has also gained popularity as a health drink.
Green tea is derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant and comes in several varieties.
It can be enjoyed hot, cold or even in powdered form, and it’s recognized for its high antioxidant content and health benefits.
But how much green tea should you drink to achieve these benefits? And could drinking too much be dangerous?
Green tea is loaded with nutrients and plant compounds that can have positive health effects.
This includes potent antioxidants called catechins, which may help protect against cancer.
In fact, multiple studies show that people who drink green tea are significantly less likely to get many types of cancer, compared to those who don’t drink it (1, 2).
The cancers that green tea may help protect against include prostate and breast cancer, which are the two most common cancers in men and women, respectively (3, 4).
What’s more, several studies indicate that green tea may lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease (5, 6, 7, 8).
And drinking green tea may even help you lose weight.
Studies that explore the benefits of green tea show conflicting evidence about exactly how much you should drink each day.
Some studies show health benefits in people who drink as little as one cup per day, while other studies deem five or more cups per day to be optimal (15, 16).
Green tea may help lower the risk of several diseases. However, the optimal amount to drink may depend on the disease.
•Oral cancer: In a large observational study, women who drank
three to four cups of green tea daily were the least likely to develop
oral cancer (17).
Effects of Caffeine
Consuming too much caffeine can increase feelings of anxiety, interfere with sleep and cause stomach upset and headaches in some people (27, 28, 29, 30, 31). Consuming large amounts of caffeine while pregnant may even increase the risk of birth defects and miscarriage (32). Based on current research, everyone, including pregnant women, should not consume more than 300 mg of caffeine daily (33). However, one review looked at over 400 studies and found that healthy adults who consumed up to 400 mg of caffeine per day did not experience adverse effects (34). The amount of caffeine in one cup of green tea varies depending on the amount of tea used and the length of time the leaves steep. One study found that the caffeine content of 1 gram of green tea ranged from 11–20 mg (12). A single serving is usually measured at 1 tablespoon (2 grams) of tea leaves per 1 cup (240 ml) of water. Assuming each cup of tea is approximately 1 cup (240 ml), this means the average cup of green tea contains about 22–40 mg of caffeine.
Catechins May Reduce Iron Absorption
The catechins in green tea may reduce your ability to absorb iron from foods (35). In fact, consuming catechins in large quantities may lead to iron deficiency anemia (36). While regularly drinking green tea isn’t a concern for most healthy individuals, those at risk of iron deficiency should consider drinking tea in between meals and waiting at least one hour after eating before drinking tea (37). Infants, young children, women who are pregnant or menstruating and individuals who have internal bleeding or are undergoing dialysis are all at an increased risk of iron deficiency. The catechins in green tea can also interfere with certain medications and decrease their effectiveness. For example, studies indicate that green tea may inhibit the effectiveness of certain heart and blood pressure medications (12). Drinking green tea may also decrease the effects of certain medications used to treat anxiety and depression (38, 39). Toxic effects are most common when people take green tea supplements, which have a much higher concentration of catechins than green tea itself (40). Summary: When consumed in moderation, green tea is safe for most people. You may want to limit or avoid it if you have iron deficiency or are pregnant, nursing or taking medications for anxiety disorders or heart conditions.
Green tea is packed full of health-promoting compounds.
Regularly drinking green tea can help you lose weight and reduce your risk of several diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Drinking three to five cups of green tea per day seems to be optimal to reap the most health benefits.
Very high doses may be problematic for some, but generally, green tea’s benefits far outweigh its risks.
May 12, 2023 · Belly Fat. Bottom Line. Green tea contains bioactive substances like caffeine and EGCG, which can help boost your metabolism and break down fat cells. However, most studies on weight loss have ...
Oct 18, 2023 · Might Improve Blood Sugar and Cholesterol Levels. Green tea may help defend against heart disease by supporting healthy cholesterol. Studies also show that green tea may reduce blood sugar levels and help prevent type 2 diabetes. A 2018 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that tea appears to slow the natural decrease in ...
Jun 5, 2021 · Claims like these are what draw consumers to supplements made from green tea extract, which is now a common ingredient in weight loss or fat burning supplements. In 2020, consumers spent ...
Oct 15, 2019 · So drinking 2 to 3 cups a day of green tea is perfectly fine and isn’t even a whole lot of caffeine. There are a very minimal amount of residual calories in green tea to begin with. 5 cal from green tea isn’t going to cause insulin response in your body nor will it end up breaking your fast.
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Jan 2, 2020 · It has the one-two punch of catechins and caffeine: The EGCG and caffeine in green tea may work together to increase weight loss and weight maintenance, says one large study. It can make it easier ...
