Why is tea harmful? - Page 2

[Sol_y_Paz]

Thanks again everyone for the information and discussions.
I thought many Japanese women drank green tea constantly, even during pregnancy.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...spice&dbid=146

[DeChRi]

For what it's worth...
I ran into my OB (disclaimer: is very crunchy but also loves her tea, lol) at the coffe shop this morning, getting her tea. I asked her specifically about green tea. She said that she strived to keep up on the research here. To her knowledge, there has been no definative studies done that prove adverse effects. She said the main concern is that green tea contains EGCG which has a recation with the enzyme DHFR. Something about this reaction is speculated to inhibit folate absorbtion. She noted that in the research she has done, the amount of green tea that needs to be consumed is much higher than most anyone would every drink, the even start to cause a problem.

She said her general advice would be to keep in to a cup a day or less (if paranoid) early in pregnancy until the neural tube closes. Then keep it to a couple cups a day if the caffiene doesn't bother you.

Her two cents (as an M.D., but also a super lover of green tea).

[aikigypsy]

I decaffienate my tea by letting it brew for 30-45 seconds, pouring off the water, and brewing again. It supposedly removes 80% of the caffiene. I drink 2, sometimes 3 pots of tea a day this way, and I'm probably still under my 200 mg a day.

I also visited Ireland twice during my last pregnancy (at about 10 weeks and at about 7 months) and had to drink lots of regular tea there. It was not a big deal, and the vast majority of women there have probably never even heard that you're supposed to avoid tea in pregnancy. I'd say a litre a day of strong tea is pretty common fare over there, and as a country they have a pretty good record of delivering healthy babies (keeping them healthy later on in life is another matter...).

[jecombs]

I asked my MW about this, as I am also a devoted tea-drinker (black, green, red, I don't discriminate, I love it all!). She said that moderation is the key to everything. 1-2 cups of whatever tea I like is not likely to harm the baby or reduce the amount of folic acid he gets by any harmful amount. I am 25 weeks and have been following her advice since before I found out I was pregnant. So far, everything has looked great with the baby!