Green Tea and Pregnancy
What about green tea and pregnancy?
During pregnancy it is very important to monitor the health of mother and baby.
For many anxious mothers-to-be, concern about diet being allied to complications and problems is a real one.
There seem to be so many conflicting opinions about what is good and what isn't good for you when pregnant!
Despite the many health benefits of green tea with its powerful antioxidants, including prevention of cancer, heart disease, improving the immune system, speeding up metabolism for weight loss, improving digestion, lowering cholesterol and blood sugar, improving oral health and many other effects, it is not advisable for you to drink green tea while expecting.
Do you feel strongly about taking caffeine during pregnancy? Please tell us about how you feel.
The polyphenols in green tea (antioxidants) are present in high levels, due to the steaming process of green tea production which avoids oxidisation and fermentation of the leaves.
There are catechins present and it is these compounds that affects the use of folate in the body.
Folate helps in preventing birth defects in the neural tube.
EGCG (one of the catechins) can help prevent cancer because it can bond with an enzyme called DHFR (dihydrofolate reductase).
The folate pathway contains these enzymes, so EGCG bonds with these and deactivates the enzymes as a result.
If the DHFR enzymes are deactivated, the body isn't able to use folate properly.
Up to date, no studies of green tea and pregnancy have been done to see how much green tea affects folate.
Doctors also recommend only very little, if any, coffee or tea be drunk during the 3 trimesters, as both contain caffeine , although green tea has less than half the caffeine content of coffee.
If this sounds 'over the top', please ask your doctor his/her advice - as with all questions about nutrition and diet, because it is the health of your baby and yourself that is of uppermost importance when you are pregnant.
Most will tell you that it is best to avoid caffeine-laden drinks for 9 months.
So, although green tea is one of the healthiest drinks you can have, and for everyone else, 4-6 cups a day is so beneficial, while you are doing the best for your baby, perhaps one small cup a day will have to suffice!
Did You Avoid Green Tea During Pregnancy?
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