Is drinking too much green tea harmful for health?

You drink green tea every day without fail and why not? There is a plenty of research which suggests that the catechins in green tea boast many health benefits. But does that mean that you can drink as many cups of green tea as you want in a day? Excessive intake of green tea may also have its fair share of side effects on your body. What happens when you sip too many cups of green tea?

1. It is likely that you drink highly concentrated green tea and overdoing on high doses of such herbs can inhibit the liver from doing its job properly, potentially leading to an infection suggests a study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine [1].
2. The tannins in green tea may inhibit the non-heme iron absorption suggests a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition[2]. That means your bodies will be less equipped to take iron from plant-based and other fortified sources like beans and dairy. However, excessive intake of green tea will not affect the absorption of iron from heme sources like meat.
3. Stick to drinking just one or two cups of green tea in a day if you have an autoimmune disease. Green tea can positively stimulate your immune system if you have a healthy body. But according to a study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the stimulus from green tea may throw your body more out of whack if you have a disorder [3]. You should also know about these 6 side effects of green tea. 

How much green tea should you drink in a day? Green tea’s benefits always outweigh the risks. However, it would still be a good idea to just stick to three cups of green tea a day. Just three cups of green tea in a day will be enough to aid weight loss and also shouldn’t negatively impact your iron absorption, says nutritionist Prema Kodical. Here's how you can make green tea in 6 healthy ways.  Tip—Drink green tea on an empty stomach as it will help in the absorption of the antioxidants. References: [1] Yin, X., Yang, J., Li, T., Song, L., Han, T., Yang, M., … Zhong, X. (2015). The effect of green tea intake on risk of liver disease: a meta-analysis. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 8(6), 8339–8346. [2] Samman S, Sandström B, Toft MB, Bukhave K, Jensen M, Sørensen SS, Hansen M. Green tea or rosemary extract added to foods reduces nonheme-iron absorption. Am  J Clin Nutr. 2001 Mar;73(3):607-12. PubMed PMID: 11237939. [3]Saleh, F., Raghupathy, R., Asfar, S., Oteifa, M., & Al-Saleh, N. (2014). Analysis of the effect of the active compound of green tea (EGCG) on the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 14, 322. http://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-322. Image source: Shutterstock Images