Should you drink green tea during menstruation?

Green tea brings many health benefits because it contains folic acid, vitamin B, potassium, iron, calcium, and flavonoid compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This drink has the effect of losing weight, reducing the risk of cancer and osteoporosis, controlling high blood pressure, and supporting the prevention of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

L-theanine in green tea is an amino acid that helps increase the hormone dopamine, reduce stress, and can be helpful for women experiencing mood changes during menstruation. The high catechin content in this tea helps reduce menstrual cramps by inhibiting the level of prostaglandin hormones that cause uterine muscle contractions.

However, drinking green tea in large amounts also causes many side effects for women at this time such as iron deficiency, constipation…

Can easily cause iron deficiency: In addition to the body’s normal loss of iron, women also lose an additional 18-21 mg of iron each menstrual period. Catechin and tannic acid in tea can combine with iron molecules in food to form a precipitate, hindering iron absorption in the intestinal mucosa. Therefore, drinking tea during menstruation causes iron loss.

Aggravation of menstrual reactions: Due to changes in neuroendocrine regulation, women during the menstrual cycle often have symptoms of headaches, back pain… with varying degrees. Caffeine, theophylline and other substances in tea have a stimulating effect, causing insomnia and exacerbating this reaction.

Increased risk of constipation: Increased secretion of the endogenous steroid hormone progesterone causes some women to become constipated during menstruation. Green tea contains about 50% tannic acid, which has the ability to precipitate proteins in the intestines, slowing down intestinal motility, leading to constipation.

If your body is sensitive to tannins and caffeine, you should limit the use of this drink during your menstrual period. There is currently no limit to the appropriate amount of green tea consumed. Due to each type, processing method, preservation process… the nutrient content in tea water is different. However, you should brew weak green tea and drink it 1-2 hours before meals to avoid hindering iron absorption and ensure your health. Limit drinking in the evening so as not to affect sleep quality.

If you like to drink tea, you can choose a type that does not contain caffeine or replace it with herbal tea that does not contain tannins such as mint tea, chrysanthemum tea, ginger tea… During your menstrual period, you should drink enough water, Eat a variety of foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, green vegetables and ripe fruits, limit fried foods, fatty meat…