How to Drink Green Tea Without the Side Effects

Though green tea has a lot of health benefits, it can also cause side effects like jitteriness and upset stomach. Follow these simple steps to have the best possible experience with your green tea.

• Drink green tea tea when it's freshly made but slightly cooled. Scalding tea can damage your digestive system. Moreover, recent studies suggest that too much hot tea can promote throat cancer. Conversely, compounds in tea like catechins, theanine, and vitamins C and B diminish over time through oxidation, so the health benefits are strongest with fresh tea. Old tea can also harbor bacteria, especially since its antibacterial properties diminish with time.

• Brew the same tea leaves in moderation. With each successive infusion, cancerous substances in the leaves themselves (often pesticides) are drawn out.

• Avoid tea that's excessively concentrated. Too-strong tea contains huge amounts of caffeine and polyphenols. The excess of caffeine can cause tremors and heart palpitations, and too many polyphenols can cause indigestion.

• Make sure that tea doesn't conflict with any medications or supplements that you're taking. The compounds in tea can interact with certain substances. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for confirmation.

• Don't drink too many cups! The United Kingdom Tea Council recommends drinking not more than 6 cups of tea a day. For the best health benefits, 3 to 4 cups is recommended.

• Drink tea an hour before or after meals. Certain compounds in tea inhibit the absorption of calcium and non-heme iron. Drinking too much tea can worsen the symptoms of those prone to iron deficiency. Putting milk in your tea can cancel out the problem of calcium absorption, the oxalate in the tea bonds to the calcium in the milk rather than the calcium in your food.