| Pregnant women would be wise to limit | | | | one by Danish scientists who interviewed |
| the amount of green tea they drink | | | | more than 88,000 pregnant women, and the |
| during pregnancy, and should be careful | | | | other by the Yale University School of |
| about taking any green tea supplements. | | | | Medicine, had similar findings on |
| Green tea is rich in antioxidants, and | | | | caffeine during pregnancy. |
| has a host of health benefits relating | | | | The concerns over caffeine were that it |
| to dental health, blood sugar levels, | | | | would lead to low birth weight or |
| cholesterol, and weight loss. But | | | | miscarriage. And this is still true of a |
| researchers have found, whilst examining | | | | very high daily intake of coffee. The |
| the active constituent of green tea, the | | | | Yale team found that drinking about |
| epigallocatechins, or EGCG for short, | | | | 600mg of caffeine a day, which is about |
| that it may affect the way the body uses | | | | 6 cups of coffee, would reduce birth |
| folate. Folate is important for pregnant | | | | weight to levels that were clinically |
| women as it prevents neural tube birth | | | | significant. The rate at which birth |
| defects in babies. | | | | weight was reduced was established at |
| The problem of green tea during | | | | being 28 grams per 100 mg, or 1 cup, of |
| pregnancy is that the EGCG molecules are | | | | coffee per day. But they emphasized that |
| structurally similar to a compound | | | | this would not be significant for |
| called methotrexate. Methotrexate is | | | | moderate caffeine consumption. |
| able to kill cancer cells by chemically | | | | The Danish study found that drinking 8 |
| bonding with an enzyme in the body | | | | cups or more of coffee per day (this |
| called enzyme dihydrofolate reductase | | | | would be about 16 cups or more of tea), |
| (DHFR). Healthy people have this enzyme | | | | would increase the chances of |
| also - it is part of what is called the | | | | miscarriage, or stillbirth, by 60% |
| folate pathway, which is the pathway, or | | | | compared to women who did not drink |
| steps, the body takes to transform | | | | caffeine. They also found that moderate |
| nutrients like folate into something | | | | coffee or tea drinking did not pose |
| that can be used to support its normal | | | | significant risks. For those drinking |
| functions. | | | | half a cup to 3 cups of coffee a day, |
| But this chemical similarity means that | | | | the risk of fetal death was 3% higher |
| the EGCG in green tea also binds with | | | | compared to non-caffeine drinkers. And |
| the enzyme DHFR, and when it does this, | | | | for those drinking 4 to 7 cups of coffee |
| it inactivates this enzyme. When this | | | | a day, the risk increases to 33%. One |
| enzyme is inactivated, the ability of | | | | cup of coffee equals about 2 cups of tea |
| the body to use folate is going to be | | | | when comparing caffeine levels. The |
| affected. How much green tea is able to | | | | recommended amount of coffee drunk is up |
| be consumed, or precisely how much | | | | to 3 cups daily, or 6 cups of tea, by |
| folate absorption is affected, is | | | | the UK food agency. |
| unclear. Though the research article did | | | | References: |
| say that drinking 2 cups of green tea a | | | | 1. nutraingredients-usa.com/news |
| day can stop cancer cells (which is what | | | | ng.asp?id=58807 |
| methotrexate is targeting) from growing. | | | | 2. nutraingredients-usa.com/news |
| The good news on caffeine drank during | | | | ng.asp?id=24747 |
| pregnancy, from coffee and tea, is that | | | | 3. foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp? |
| a moderate amount is fine. Two studies, | | | | |