Green Tea : My Take

These days you see green tea being pushed almost everywhere as a health food, or healthy ingredient. This is another case of pushing too hard to find benefits, and ignoring the negative.

Let's talk about some of the problems. All kinds of studies are being done to extol the virtues of green tea. But they all seem to be aimed at the benefits that come from antioxidants. In my opinion there are many safer ways to get wonderful antioxidants.

Yes, green tea has a supply of antioxidants. But it isn't that great of a source. In fact if you actually look at the studies that are making wonderful health claims about green tea, you see that the benefits are very small. For instance claiming that a 2% improvement by those who drink green tea is "significant". Most studies of just about anything can flex 2% or more just due to errors and idiosyncrasies of the studies. It is bizarre to claim 2% as a great victory for green tea drinkers.

OK, so what are the negatives of green tea consumption.

The first and most obvious is caffeine. See my recent discussion about caffeine (here) if you don't understand that danger.

Another of my major concerns, since I care for an Alzheimer's patient, is that green tea contains fluoride. While trace levels of fluoride are beneficial to health, we get so much of it in the modern diet that it is causing many problems. One of the main problems with too much fluoride in the body is that it facilitates heavy metals being stored in soft tissues. (Like aluminum in the brain.) No wonder we are seeing so many more cases of Alzheimer's disease.

Green tea also interferes with the assimilation of iron. Anemia is a major problem in our society already.

Green tea also should be avoided by ladies who are pregnant or planning to become so. It causes birth defects.

Green tea also has estrogen effects. Messing with hormones is not a safe thing to do.

If you want to get all the claimed benefits of green tea, but don't want the downsides, consider eating more turmeric along with fresh fruit and veggies.

In my opinion, everyone should avoid green tea. Yes, that would apply to you. :-)