Drinking Tea: How Much Tea Should You Consume?

What do you drink? Black tea, green tea, herbal tea? Everybody has their preferences when it comes to tea. And when we talk about how you make it, the list goes on. Bag in or bag out or lose leaves? With milk or without milk? Sugar or no sugar? Decoction or infusion? The politics of tea brewing is constantly on the boil. However, do you actually know how tea affects us? While you may have heard of many health benefits that tea consumption boasts, what about the side effects. Are there any recommended cups of tea that one should take in a day? And how much tea is too much tea?

As avid tea drinkers, people may not look into these aspects. But, as you know, there are pros and cons to everything, even if it is a good thing. And tea is no different. While you might not be counting your daily cups of tea, it is important to know how much quantity is right for you. For example, if you prefer your tea with sugar and suppose you consume 8 cups in a day, you can only imagine how much sugar you are consuming. So, as said, there are two sides of a story, and it is important to know both the sides.

We have created this post to help you understand the importance of drinking tea in a controlled manner, and we will also suggest the number of cups you should drink in a day.

So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

How many cups of tea should you drink each day?

Well, there is no specific number for this. It all depends on your current health, the quality of the tea leaves, how you prepare it, and how you take your tea. All these aspects play a crucial role in how much tea you should drink in a day.

However, according to experts, if you already drink a cup of tea daily, consider having two. Dr John Weisburger, the former President of the Research of American Health Foundation, says that he drinks eight cups of green tea daily. So, it is basically how much your body can tolerate the beverage. But on average, an individual should drink 3-4 cups (710-950 millilitres) a day to enjoy the maximum benefits of the tea.

But you need to understand that the quantity of the intake is proportional to how you are likely to benefit from the beverage. However, experts say that it is rather the amount of tea leaves a person consumes that matters. This is because the proportion of salutary substances in tea leaves, like L-theanine and polyphenols, are related to the amount as well as the quality of tea leaves, rather than how many cups of tea.

There are studies that suggest the health benefits of tea is directly proportional to the natural quantity consumption. That is, the more, the merrier. And on the other hand, if you are mixing your tea with additives like sugar milk, etc., it may degrade or increase the quality of your tea. With that said, if you love to consume lots of tea in a day, make sure that you consume it in its natural quality and refrain from adding additives like sugar and milk. And if you like your tea with milk and sugar, make sure you reduce your consumption to 3-4 cups per day.

The reports of severe effects of high tea consumption are linked with the use of low-quality tea mixes and instant tea mixes that have been looming with the issues of fluorides. Apart from fluorides, caffeine is another major aspect that should concern tea drinkers. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine, and they don’t know, but it is adversely affecting their health. Moreover, pregnant ladies should consume tea with constraints.

All of this deducts the fact that the upper limits of consuming tea are associated with the safe amount of fluorides and caffeine your body condition allows. In order to escape the fluorides issue, make sure that you are using loose tea leaves that are finer in the structure instead of using instant mixes, ready-to-drinks, low-quality compressed tea, and even your regular tea bags.

Excessive caffeine can have adverse effects on the baby if you are pregnant. It can cause underweight issues in your baby. On the contrary, if you love drinking tea, you should avoid excessive consumption of other items with similar properties as tea.

We assume that you are now able to understand the science behind how much tea you should consume in a day.

Side Effects of Drinking too much tea

We know that most tea aficionados won’t like this part. But it is important that you remain informed about the adverse side effects of drinking too much tea. We have prepared a list here. And if you are experiencing any of the side effects from this list, it could mean that you might be drinking too much tea.

1. Reduced iron absorption: Tea contains huge amounts of tannins that can bind to iron, making it unavailable for absorption. This can cause iron deficiency.
2. Increased restlessness and anxiety: Tea leaves naturally contain caffeine. Overconsumption of caffeine can lead to feelings of restlessness, stress, and anxiety.
3. Poor sleep: As tea leaves contain caffeine, excessive consumption may result in disruption of your sleep cycle.
4. Nausea: Tannins and other compounds in tea leaves may cause nausea, especially when consumed on an empty stomach or in large amounts.
5. Heartburn: Caffeine content in tea may irk pre-existing acid reflux symptoms or may cause heartburn.
6. Pregnancy complications: Pregnant women are always at the risk of experiencing miscarriage or deliver an underweight baby due to high intake of caffeine.
7. Headaches: While caffeine is helpful in relieving certain types of headaches when used chronically, it may reverse the effect.
8. Dizziness: Consuming too much caffeine from tea might make you feel dizzy or light-headed.

Final Words

So, what do you guys think? Will you be now cutting down your tea consumption? Always research before you do anything in excess.