nik Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 I drink 0-3 cups a day of either rooibos, green, white, oolong or yerba mate. With the exception of yerba mate though, they are all high in fluoride (I don't know the levels for white tea though). This kind of concerns me. I've read a lot of bad things about the toxicity of fluoride, even from tea. And that the levels of it vary so much depending on the area it is grown, the soil and pollution levels in the area, which is what it is absorbing in the tea leaves. They also have aluminum in them, in the tea leaves as well. Which fluoride supposedly increases the absorption of. And then there is the problem of the inhibition of iron. It's not just the tannins, but the polyphenol anti-oxidants that inhibits the iron absorption. So even caffeine free beverages like cocoa, mint tea, chamomile, rooibos etc. all inhibit the absorption of iron. Maybe, as vegans we shouldn't drink anything but water with our meals? Drink other beverages between meals. Seems like every single substance out there sans vitamin C, INHIBITS iron absorption. It's so frustrating. Even Calcium inhibits iron absorption! What do you think about the fluoride levels in tea? Are you concerned at all? What bothers me the most about it is that there are no regulations on it and they don't even have to test or list the amount the way that bottled water does and the regulation on bottled water. So they can be way higher then the Max. allowed for any other source. The max for fluoridated water supplies is 1.2PPM, while some teas have been found to be over 6 or 8 PPM. I'm not trying to be alarmist, just bringing it to others attention. It might be a concern, esp. if you have any thyroid problems or anything. Instant tea is the worse culprit with the highest levels, as well as low quality brick tea. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,145423,00.html http://www.webmd.com/content/article/99/105355.htm http://thyroid.about.com/cs/toxicchemicalsan/a/flouride.htm http://thyroid.about.com/cs/toxicchemicalsan/a/fluoridepr.htm http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/tea/index.html http://www.mercola.com/2000/sep/10/green_tea_fluoride_thyroid.htm The last article on mercola's site is alarming, yet I can't find anything that confirms it's wild claims about the levels found. Most sources say the levels are about 0.1-0.4 per cup of green tea. While that article claims "While in 1976 a Belgian analysis showed content of between 50 and 125 ppm fluoride in 15 varieties of tea (3), a Polish study in 1995 found fluoride content of up to 340 ppm in 16 varieties of black tea (5). A major Canadian study published in 1995 reports average fluoride content in tea to be 4.57 mg/l in the 1980's.(6) A website by a pro-fluoridation infant medical group lists a cup of black tea to contain 7.8 mgs of fluoride (7), which is roughly the same amount as if one were to drink 7.8 liters of water in an area fluoridated at 1ppm. It is well known that fluoride in tea gets absorbed by the body similarly as the fluoride in drinking water (1,." 7.8mgs in a cup (about 4-6oz) of tea. I don't believe that! The instant tea analysis found up to 6.5mg per Liter, how many cups are in a liter? Anyways, don't drink instant tea at least! "A study by researchers at the University of Mississippi suggests that very high doses of green tea extract may actually activate - rather than shut down - the genetic mechanisms that help certain tumors survive and grow." http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/news/20050208235233_health_news.shtml http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=65962-green-tea-egcg-breast-cancer http://www.fluoridealert.org/f-sources.htm#I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Nik, Your concerns merit a equally detailed response. You've obviously put a lot of thought into this. I'd really only like to point out that the flouride levels in toothpastes that most of the population uses is far greater than that found in a few cups of rooibos tea. Also, consider that Asians and the British drink teas routinely all their lives and there has been no correlation that I'm aware of between the levels of tannins imbibed and iron anemia. Just my two cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odidnetne Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 I want to start drinking red or white tea too though, but I enjoy Tazo's Decaf Lotus tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nik Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 Nik, Your concerns merit a equally detailed response. You've obviously put a lot of thought into this. I'd really only like to point out that the flouride levels in toothpastes that most of the population uses is far greater than that found in a few cups of rooibos tea. Also, consider that Asians and the British drink teas routinely all their lives and there has been no correlation that I'm aware of between the levels of tannins imbibed and iron anemia. Just my two cents... But you don't eat and swallow toothpaste. It is a topical application. And that's why I DON'T use fluoride toothepaste or drink the tap water in my fluoridated city and use a shower filter. I try to get as little fluoride as possible because it's a toxic heavy metal that stores up in the body and causes nerve damage too. I have heard also that people in China drinking tea are getting signs of fluoride poisoning as well as Tibet. http://www.ehponline.org/docs/1996/104-12/cao.html http://www.tzuchi.org/GLOBAL/news/articles/20020700.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12619286&dopt=Abstract As far as the tea drinking British and Asians and iron anemia, as a whole they are not VEGANS! These compounds only inhibit NON-HEME iron. In other words - PLANT sources of iron. The only type vegans get. The Brits and Asians get plently of iron from meat sources which are unaffected. This can be a concern for VEGANS, not everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 But you don't eat and swallow toothpaste. It is a topical application If dentists are touting the merits of flouride as a prophylactic for dental caries, you can bet that it is indeed being absorbed and utilized--to what degree I'm not sure. As for iron, bear in mind that meat sources have a surprising amount of the non-heme variety as well. It's not the 'either/or' situation that most of us think it is. Depending on the type of meat, most of the naturally occuring iron may be of the non-heme variety. It's not really a foregone conclusion that the Brits and Asians are getting plenty of iron from meat sources. Most non-vegans generally eat a low amount of Vitamin C rich foods which readily facillitates both heme and non-heme iron absorption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooguru1 Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 You know a few years ago I stumbled upon the amazing benefits of Yerba Mate, which is a tea I have been drinking ever since then! It is soooo amazing! It orginates from Paraguay and Uraguay, and the call it "The drink of the Gods". I buy ten pound bags of it from the source. Here, I'll post some links about it...I highly reccomend it! Seriously, I love this stuff! Makes me feel great after every cup! http://ma-tea.com/WhatIsIt_Nutrient.asp http://www.noborders.net/mate/ You can order it here!http://guayaki.com/index.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 I love yerba maté! Wisdom Herbs makes a good instant version (for times when you don't have the time to brew it) that contains yerba maté and stevia. Nice to add to bottled water for a quick 'brewed' tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Does decaffeinated green tea have the same health benefits as "regular" green tea? I love green tea, but I'm off the caffeine and I'm not going back on, I have trouble with moderation and end up drinking a 12-pack of Tab a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Does decaffeinated green tea have the same health benefits as "regular" green tea? I love green tea, but I'm off the caffeine and I'm not going back on, I have trouble with moderation and end up drinking a 12-pack of Tab a day. I think it does (unless there's something fishy about the decaf process I'm not aware of...some chemical residue?). The EGCG (epigallo-something-or-other) content of green tea wouldn't be affected by decaffeination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mm Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Green tea bad for body-building? I just came across this whille going through Bryan Haycock's HST-FAQ (http://www.hypertrophy-specific.info/iB_html/uploads/HST_Faq_book.pdf) Green tea has compounds that block COMT. I stopped using as much green tea when I found that they were anti-androgenic. They not only block androgen at the receptor, they also appear to down regulate androgen receptors.Green tea is basically an anti-endocrine factor. It seems to reduce the effects of all steroid hormones. I don't mean to freak anybody out, it's just that the flavones (especially epigallocatechin gallate) are well known to reduce the actions of endogenous androgens (and estrogens) as well as even lowering testosterone levels themselves.Anyway, my point is that, you may never see any significant effect of drinking green tea on muscle gains. Then again, we know that it is having an antagonistic effect, however small, in a direction opposite to what we want with respect to testosterone.Cultures that consume a lot of green tea of also known to have fewer androgenic "manifestations" both normal (body hair, muscle mass, etc) as well as fewer pathologic manifestations (prostate problems, and other cancers associated with steroid hormones).Fat is a different story. It clearly helps fat loss by altering catecholamine metabolism and probably a few other things.Doesn't say much about the amount though. My guess is you'd have to drink gallons of the stuff to get the adverse effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveliberate Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Yay Mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I drink about 8 cups of tea(or herba mate) every day...normally 2 of those are green Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odidnetne Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I used to drink a lot, but I haven't been lately. I do it more during cleanses than anything anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veganbarbie Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I do love green tea.. I drink it a few times a week. I get scared sometimes and have periods of time where I dont drink it at all because I'm afraid of kidney stones. I like Oolong tea as well.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdandrew Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 12 oz before workout and 16 oz during the day Anyone tried TeaTech's instant green tea mix? Good stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Haven't tried that but I'm gonna be buying me some vita soy green tea milk soon to try it out...I don't think I've ever had something with green tea in it that I didn't like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdandrew Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Green tea soy milk?!? Thanks for the heads up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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