Can babies drink green tea? What are the side effects?

Green tea is very helpful for our health. It can resist oxidation, fight cancer and aid digestion. However, this may not be the case for young children. If children drink too much green tea, it may cause sleep disorders, anemia, weak bones and limb weakness. Therefore, it is best not to let children drink it.

Benefits of drinking green tea for children

When your baby is tired: If you feel your baby is always tired and lacks energy, you can give him some green tea to try. If your baby appears happy and energetic after drinking it, you can try giving him a little green tea again the next day.

Helps fight the flu: Green tea contains catechin compounds and the amino acid theanine. Therefore, giving your baby 5 cups of green tea a week can help him fight the flu and reduce illness.

Prevents tooth decay and bad breath: Drinking green tea may reduce tooth decay and bad breath in the mouth because it contains catechins, which specifically help fight these. Keep in mind that there isn't enough research to support this claim.

Can toddlers drink green tea?

For infants and young children, drinking tea is not good. Because caffeine can increase the excitability of the human brain, infants and young children cannot fall asleep after drinking tea, they are irritable, their heartbeats speed up, their blood circulation speeds up, and their heart burden increases. Tea has a diuretic effect, and the renal function of infants and young children is not yet perfect, so the increased urine volume of infants and young children after drinking tea will affect the function of their kidneys. In order to understand the impact of tea on infant anemia, American scientists and researchers have conducted a survey on 122 children. The results showed that the incidence of iron deficiency anemia in the tea drinking group was significantly higher than that in the non-tea drinking group. The occurrence of anemia had no obvious relationship with gender or the length of breastfeeding, indicating that tea drinking for infants plays an important role in the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia. The ingredients contained in tea, such as tannic acid, theophylline, and caffeine, can stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa, hinder the absorption of nutrients, and cause nutritional disorders. Therefore, do not give tea to infants and young children.

Side effects of drinking green tea for children

It contains caffeine: Green tea contains caffeine, and excessive consumption can cause hyperactivity, headaches, sleep disorders, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, heartburn, convulsions, and more.

Causes anemia in children: Since green tea is not conducive to the absorption of iron in food by the human body, it may cause your children to have symptoms of iron deficiency anemia and affect their health.

Interference with drug absorption: Drinking green tea may interfere with the effectiveness of some medications and cause negative reactions. Therefore, if your child needs to take regular medications, ask your doctor if green tea will conflict with it.

Cause calcium loss: Drinking green tea may increase the chance of calcium loss in the baby's urine, thus making the child's bones more fragile. If you drink it frequently and excessively, it may cause osteoporosis.

May cause allergies: Since green tea is rich in chlorophyll, it can easily irritate the stomach and intestines. Children may have allergic reactions after drinking it. People with allergies may vomit after drinking it.

It reduces thiamine: Drinking green tea can also reduce your baby's body's absorption of thiamine. A lack of thiamine in the body can cause beriberi, a disorder of the nervous system that can cause weakness in the limbs, sensory impairment, and irregular heartbeats.

Can cause kidney stones: Green tea contains a lot of oxalic acid, and 80% of kidney stones are mainly composed of calcium oxalate. Therefore, if children drink too much green tea, they may develop kidney stones.