What is it about Green Tea that makes me feel sick?
I kept scratching my head and wondering why everytime I drink green tea it makes me feel light headed, nauseous, and downright wrechedly ill?
After reading all of the posts on here I decided to do a little research and get to the bottom of it.
Granted the answer wasn't exactly plain as day so bare with me. Tapping into my overpriced education as a biology student to claim some form of value proved exhilirating and reminded me why I chose to be a computer programmer instead of a doctor
So... according to the Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine (
health.enotes.com/alternative-medicine-encyclopedia/green-tea)
the following is true of Green Tea:
"Green tea contains caffeine, a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that can cause restlessness, irritability, difficulty sleeping, tremor, heart palpitations, loss of appetite, and upset stomach. To avoid side effects, caffeine intake should be limited to 300 mg or less a day (the equivalent of 48 cups of brewed hot tea). Caffeine-free green tea preparations are available commercially.
The tannin in tea can cause nausea when drunk on an empty stomach and inhibit the absorption of nonheme iron. Individuals with iron-deficiency anemia who take iron supplements should avoid drinking green tea several hours before and after taking supplements. Iron absorption with tea can be increased by consuming foods rich in vitamin C with tea, such as a slice of lemon."
Since I myself can consume eight 24oz. Starbucks quadrouple shot Moca Grande's in one sitting (okay, maybe not that much, but definitely more than the average joe) and it has never once made me feel sick I tend to rule out the side effect of caffiene.
So if it's not the caffiene what is it... perhaps the Tannin?
Well what the heck is Tannin you might ask? Good question, and one I was thinking too! According to dictionary.com
Tannin:
n : any of various complex phenolic substances of plant origin; used in tanning and in medicine [syn: tannic acid]
hmmmm... still not much help.
Notice the word
phenolic?
That's the ticket! Phenolic pertains to the world phenol.
phenol
n 1: any of a class of weakly acidic organic compounds; molecule contains one or more hydroxyl groups
Now if you've never taken organic chemistry (yuck.. saying those words makes me feel ill) you're not missing out on much. As with most acidic compounds if you add more acid you get a much greater effect.
Now this is where some interpretation is welcome. By consuming phenolic acid in the form of tannin, combined with caffeine, from green tea on an empty stomach and you've got yourself a malitov' cocktail ready to explode in your gut! When the PH of your degestive tract changes it spells bad news. When phenolic acid is introduced to the enzymes in the lining of your stomach they start to become unfriendly. As the the phenol gets absorbed it does what any good buddy does, it tries to find a mate. So it jumps on the first oxygen bus to come along and then wham... as the bus gets tired and runs out of gas it becomes unusable to your body. When your body starts asking where's the oxygen? Things start feeling pretty nasty!
I associate it with a game my big brother use to play with me called "Go To Sleep" where he proceeded to choke me unconscious... it wasn't fun and it gave me a great headache!
Well the same seems to happen with this green tea death drink I make these days. That little mosh-pit created in my stomach combined with the nauseating headache is fairly unpleasant and has a reverse parastalsis affect on my stomach
(that would be puking
)
Solution:
Scarf down some grub so the phenol has a comfy bus to ride before you slam down a nice fat 64oz. green tea death brew in the morning. The effects listed above are not harmful, just annoying.
And my Mom must have told me a million times not to start my day on an empty stomach and I still didn't listen
(what an incredibly wise woman
)