Tea is widely regarded as a healthy drink and studies have shown that it can fight cancer, boost your immune system, fight the signs of aging, stimulate blood flow and much more. But can you drink too much? In this article I’ll be answering that very question and discussing the negative side effects of overdosing on tea.

Can You Drink Too Much Tea?

Tea is rich in caffeine and flavan-3-ols and fluoride. When consumed moderately, these nutrients can enhance your health in various ways. However, when consumed excessively, these health benefits are lost and the nutrients in tea can actually have a negative impact on your body. Therefore, it is possible to drink too much tea.

What Are The Side Effects Of Drinking Too Much Tea?

As mentioned above, tea is a potent source of three main nutrients – caffeine, flavan-3-ols and fluoride. The section below outlines the overdose symptoms for each one:

1.    Caffeine Overdose Symptoms: Caffeine has both mild and major side effects. Drinking between 300mg and 700mg of caffeine per day (which is the equivalent of 10-20 cups of tea each day) can lead to minor side effects such as an increased heart rate, frequent urination and restlessness. Drinking over 700mg of caffeine per day (which is the equivalent of 20+ cups of tea each day) can lead to major side effects such as confusion, disorientation and loss of consciousness.

2.    Flavan-3-Ol Overdose Symptoms: Drinking over 4,000mg of the flavan-3-ol epigallocatechin gallate (which is the equivalent of 20 cups of green tea per day) can stimulate free radical damage in the body and also interfere with cancer fighting drugs.

3.    Fluoride Overdose Symptoms: Drinking over 8mg of fluoride (which is the equivalent of 16 cups of tea per day) can lead to abdominal pain, convulsions, heart attacks, nausea and weakness.

How Much Tea Can You Safely Drink?

The minimum consumption level for caffeine overdose is 10 cups of tea per day while the minimum consumption level for flavan-3-ol overdose is 20 cups of green tea per day and the minimum consumption level for fluoride overdose is 16 cups of tea per day. Therefore, if you limit your intake of tea to 10 cups per day, you can enjoy numerous health benefits without experiencing any of the negative side effects listed in this article. So by all means enjoy a few cups of this hot, refreshing beverage on a daily basis but don’t go overboard.