We
have mentioned above that because of the caffeine factor, over two
cups a day is not recommended for pregnant women and nursing
mothers. Persons with irregular heartbeats are advised to be
cautions, as should those with stomach ulcers, for fear of
stimulating too much stomach acid.
But
does tea have any bad effects on healthy people? One thing that
everyone should know is: never swallow medicines with tea. Some of
the four hundred chemical compounds identified in it might cause an
adverse reaction when combined with certain drugs.
British researchers have been concerned that tea growing in soil
with high aluminum content will transmit levels of it harmful to
people with aluminum-related problems. But this is a specific
question related only to certain soils. Tea has some effect on
solubility of iron and calcium, therefore on ease of absorption, a
study at the University of Wisconsin found. While iron as a nutrient
proved to be totally soluble in instant tea, solubility was only 85%
in green and oolong tea and 69% in blank. Research is being done on
how to overcome this drawback. The Wisconsin study discovered that
addition of the enzyme tannase, or lemon juice, increased iron
solubility by 27% and that of calcium by 24%. There seems to be some
point in putting lemon in black tea.
