Green Tea the Red Light?

liver411

Mon Dec 10 09:38:00 PST 2001

HealthOnline



Green Tea the Red Light?



I've read that green tea has enough fluoride to affect my thyroid problem. Should I stop drinking it?



Kathy Davis

Albuquerque, N.M.



Most doctors agree that there is not enough evidence to associate fluoride intake with thyroid disease, which sometimes asociated with liver disease and so on. Anti-fluoride activists, who oppose adding fluoride to municipal water supplies, claim that the chemical can cause anything from cancer to loss of libido in otherwise healthy people. And tea does contain fluoride -- sometimes as much as four times that in a fluoridated city water system (Chinese green tea contains the most). But according to University of Iowa professor Steven Levy, D.D.S., who has studied the health effects of fluoride for more than 10 years, evidence that common exposure to fluoride poses a health risk is not sufficient to warrant a ban on tea drinking. An adult would have to drink several gallons of tea daily to experience any negative effects -- and these effects would likely be on bones.



That said, you should talk to your doctor about your fluoride intake, especially if you have osteoporosis, kidney disease, some liver diseases such as AIH, HCV, in INFtherapy, PBC or thyroid cancer. Otherwise, continue to enjoy your Earl Grey -- or consider making the switch to herbal teas, which contain dried herbs, spices, and fruits -- but no actual tea leaves.







[ 此消息由 liver411 在 2001-12-11.06:27:59 编辑过 ]