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"Oh, I really haven't seen it, liver failure is actually drunk from tea!" In the yoga studio, Li Qingzhu, who was chatting while stretching, was very surprised. She is a middle school geography teacher, and she is used to seeking evidence for everything on weekdays, so when she hears such an assertion, she naturally half-believes it.
On that day, Li Qingzhu happened to accompany a friend to the hospital for a check-up, and her friend Zhang Li accidentally sprained her arm in a yoga class and needed further examination. In the hospital's waiting room, their topic still can't be avoided from the morning discussion.
"Is this really possible, you say? My mom drinks tea every night, and I don't see her feeling unwell. Zhang Li asked with curiosity, she was always particularly interested in small tricks in life.
Li Qingzhu thought about it and decided to take the opportunity to ask the doctor. It just so happened that their doctor, Zhu Wei, was an expert in hepatology, and this question should come to him easily.
"Hello Dr. Zhu, I have a question for you. We heard this morning that drinking tea can cause liver failure, is that true? Li Qingzhu asked curiously while helping Zhang Li adjust her seat.
Dr. Chu glanced at them, smiled and shook his head, seemingly amused by the statement. That's a good question. First of all, let's be clear, everything is a matter of quantity. Drinking tea in moderation can bring many health benefits, such as refreshing and aiding digestion, but if consumed in excess, especially certain types of tea, it can indeed be taxing on the liver. ”
"Oh? Can you elaborate on what types of tea are and why is this so? As soon as Li Qingzhu heard this, the teacher's instinct began to attack again, and she was eager to learn more specific information.
Dr. Zhu adjusted his glasses and began to explain in detail: "Okay, let's talk about the tea itself first. Tea leaves contain tea polyphenols and caffeine, and drinking a little tea can help boost metabolism and help with antioxidants. However, excessive intake of these ingredients, especially caffeine, may increase the metabolic stress on the liver. ”
After a pause, he continued: "In particular, some high-strength teas, such as strong green tea, pu-erh, etc., may be taxing the liver due to excessive caffeine intake if they are consumed in large quantities for a long time. Moreover, people with liver diseases need to pay more attention to controlling this intake. ”
You may think that tea is natural and should have no side effects, right? But in fact, like anything around us, tea, especially certain types of tea, if consumed in excess, puts real pressure on the liver.
First of all, it is important to admit that tea itself contains a variety of complex chemical components. These ingredients, when in moderation, can help refresh our minds and boost metabolism, and studies have even shown that proper tea polyphenol intake is associated with a long healthy lifespan. However, the problem lies in the word "in moderation".
Caffeine, an ingredient that everyone is familiar with, is one of the most talked about members of tea. While caffeine can increase alertness, heart rate, and metabolism, it's also a substance that the liver must process.
Normally, the liver can handle a certain amount of caffeine well, but if you drink a lot of that strong tea, such as strong green tea or black tea, every day, the amount of caffeine you consume may exceed your liver's capacity. In the long run, the metabolic pressure on the liver increases, which is a big challenge to liver function.
And, not just caffeine, there are other components in tea, such as certain types of natural organic acids, which may also put an extra burden on the liver when ingested in high concentrations. For example, some strong teas contain higher concentrations of tannic acid, which has antioxidant benefits, but excessive intake may also affect the liver's ability to metabolize other substances.
Further, some components in tea may produce intermediate metabolites during metabolism in the body, and these metabolites may have a direct toxic effect on liver cells. While the damage is usually very mild and almost negligible, the potential damage can be magnified if there is something wrong with your liver itself, or if you consume large amounts of these ingredients over a long period of time.
And, what you may not expect is that the habit of drinking tea may also affect the effect of the drug. Because the liver is also responsible for the metabolism of medicines, if the liver is already overburdened by processing too many tea components, its ability to process drugs may be affected.
This means that certain medications that need to be metabolized by the liver, such as common painkillers, may be metabolized in the body at a rate and in a way that can be altered by the way you drink too much tea.
So, while drinking tea is a good habit, for those who particularly like to drink strong tea or are used to drinking many cups of tea a day, especially those who already have liver health problems, it really needs to reconsider how much tea you drink and what type of tea you drink. Understanding this complex relationship between tea and the liver is essential for maintaining one's own health.
When we discuss several teas that need to be reduced for liver health, it is not only about what kind of tea to choose, but also how to understand the combined effects of these teas on the body. As you may know, some teas need to be limited because of their high caffeine content, but in addition to these general knowledge, there are some special points that you may not be familiar with.
Let's talk about Pu-erh tea. Pu-erh tea is extremely popular among tea lovers because of its unique fermentation process. However, this fermentation property of Pu-erh tea also means that it contains bioactive substances that are different from other teas.
While these complex biological compounds give us taste and health benefits, they may also increase the metabolic burden on the liver, especially when consumed in excess. Some of the ingredients in Pu-erh tea may affect the enzyme system of the liver and interfere with normal liver function.
In addition, there is also a category of tea, that is, teas that contain more tannins, such as some strong black teas. Tannic acid can bind to iron and affect the normal metabolism of iron, and this type of tea may need to be consumed with caution for those with a history of liver disease or iron absorption problems.
Understanding the specific effects of different types of tea and their components on the liver can help us arrange our eating habits more scientifically. The intake of each tea should be adjusted according to the individual's health and pre-existing lifestyle habits. For example, a person who regularly needs to use drugs for liver metabolism may need to monitor his tea intake more carefully.
It is recommended that everyone should not forget to pay attention to their own health needs when enjoying the pleasure of drinking tea. Arrange the type and amount of tea you drink to ensure that this habit becomes a part of a healthy life and does not inadvertently burden your body. Through such comprehensive and meticulous consideration, we can not only enjoy the beauty of tea, but also ensure that our health is not compromised.
(The names in the article are pseudonyms) #头条首发大赛#
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Resources
[1] Lu Xu, Evaluation of the Efficacy of Pharmaceutical Services in Patients with Hepatitis B Cirrhosis by Drug Treatment Management Combined with PCNE Classification System, Herald of Medicine, 2024-06-01