green tea

[Gillybean123]

hi everyone. Does anyone drink decaf green tea here and has it helped. Thanks

[Autumn_Leaves]

I’ve been drinking green tea every day for years. In fact, I have a cup of green tea right next to me right now! It didn’t stop me developing AF and looking back at my diary, it certainly hasn’t prevented any AF episodes or had any impact on my ectopics.

[Gillybean123 in reply to Autumn_Leaves]

Do you think it has helped in any other ways in your body. Do you enjoy drinking it.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Gillybean123]

I was at a friends house with 2 other people a few days ago and they all discussed how horrible it tastes. I've never tried it and don't want to now.

Jean

[Autumn_Leaves in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I’m OK with green tea though I can understand that it might taste a bit bitter for some people. I can’t abide rooibos, though. It’s very popular but I just can’t 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Vonnegut in reply to Autumn_Leaves]

Me too re the rooibos! But no problem with the odd green tea- always very weak like herb teas.

[Staffsgirl in reply to jeanjeannie50]

It makes me feel nauseous!

[malaekahana in reply to jeanjeannie50]

It's actually delicious if you can tilt your taste buds in the direction of the umami.

[Tobypussie in reply to malaekahana]

I agree with you, especially green tea with jasmine I have it every morning .

[Autumn_Leaves in reply to Gillybean123]

It contains a lot of compounds said to be beneficial for health, including polyphenols which have antioxidant properties. It’s not the only source of these compounds, leafy greens and berries do as well, and even the good old cuppa has health benefits. Just don’t add sugar! 😉

I can’t honestly say whether I’ve seen any benefits I can say are objectively down to my green tea consumption. I don’t think one food or drink can make or break anyone’s health (with the exception of severe allergies or coeliac disease, of course). I think it’s the overall dietary pattern over the longer term that matters. Because I have another condition called haemochromatosis, and because I hate having venesection treatments, I like to believe that my tea drinking helps keep my iron levels low thus reducing my need for treatment. But I also follow a plant-based diet too, so IF there is a benefit to any of this, I think it’s the sum of lots of little changes that MIGHT add up. On the plus side, my BP, cholesterol and hbA1c are all low and I’d like them to stay that way. So who knows?

[Threecats]

Hi Gillybean

I’ve been drinking green tea , both ordinary and latterly, decaf, for years but like AutumnLeaves, it hasn’t stopped my paroxysmal AF from starting or, in my case, from becoming persistent! Whether it’s had any other beneficial impacts on my health I don’t know, as I try and eat a reasonably healthy diet anyway. I just drink it because I like it, particularly when blended with jasmine flowers.

[Autumn_Leaves in reply to Threecats]

I’ll drink to that! Green tea with jasmine is my favourite 👍

[SingingT]

I drink decaf green tea every lunchtime and enjoy it. Ordinary green tea will trigger my AF. It seems I’m very sensitive to caffeine and green tea contains lots of it. I don’t think green tea has improved my health I just like drinking it. I don’t let it brew for too long or it will oxidise, become brown and taste bitter.

[malaekahana in reply to SingingT]

My experience mirrors SingingT's.

[RoyMacDonald]

A minimum of two cups of any kind of tea a day has been shown in studies to prolong life as they are all anti inflammatories.

Coffee has shown the opposite as it's an inflammatory.

All the best.

Roy

[Autumn_Leaves in reply to RoyMacDonald]

I’m not sure about coffee being inflammatory. The current position is that coffee contains beneficial polyphenols which have anti inflammatory properties and a favourable effect on the composition of the gut microbiome. However, if people can’t tolerate the effects of caffeine or if they choose not to drink it for any reason, that’s fine. There are many other dietary sources of beneficial compounds and polyphenols.

[RoyMacDonald in reply to Autumn_Leaves]

Dr Google says "The caffeine content in a single cup of coffee is enough to have a major effect on someone's gastrointestinal system. Second, coffee and coffee drinks are acidic beverages. Drinking coffee may increase the acid levels in your stomach or gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to inflammation of the stomach.14 Jul 2022"

It's probably down to the individual but I read a study in my sports magazine that was quite a large one that included decaff that said it would increase performance because of the caffeine content but it would have an inflammatory effect on your body regardless of the type of coffee (decaf or regular). I forget the chemical that was to blame.

I'm very sensitive to the caffeine in coffee so I never drink it now although I used too (decaf) before I read the article.

All the best.

Roy

[Autumn_Leaves in reply to RoyMacDonald]

It all depends which Doctor Google is on duty. They all have contradictory opinions. 😜

If you do a search for “coffee inflammatory” you’ll get articles that say just that and if you search for “coffee anti inflammatory” you’ll get the opposite. Then there is the skill in discerning what is or isn’t a trusted source of information. But no one food can make or break anyone’s health. People can live perfectly well without coffee, or without tea or without red wine or without blueberries etc.

[Sozo in reply to Autumn_Leaves]

I second that! I read and research and then rely on the gift of discernment! 🙏🏻

[Autumn_Leaves in reply to Sozo]

As always, and certainly for the article quoted above, the devil is in the detail. The source from a website that promotes the services of gastroenterologists. The article is about gastritis, and begins with:

Perhaps you’ve just developed gastritis, or maybe you’ve been battling it for a while.

But does any of this have any relevance for people who don’t have gastritis? And how realistic is it to extrapolate that to blanket advice for the general population?

If someone has gastritis, then they really ought to be tested for H pylori infection and get a referral for an endoscopy. They could have an infection, a stomach ulcer or even cancer. Or alternatively their stomach lining may be affected by taking NSAIDS long term. They need to have these conditions ruled out before deferring to whatever random result Dr Google throws up on the day. But whatever is applicable to someone in this situation, it’s certainly a bit of a stretch to say people “should” avoid coffee because it’s “bad” for you.

Many people limit coffee because it impacts on their sleep, and that’s perfectly reasonable. But does it drive up systemic inflammation? There is weak evidence from research that suggests it lowers inflammatory markers in the body, but like I said before, no one food will make or break anyone’s health (unless they have something like a peanut allergy or coeliac disease) and people do have preferences. It’s not psychologically healthy to live a life based around food rules.

[2learn]

Hi, I used to drink green tea and liked it, but my GP said it was bad for men with prostate problems, too much caffeine. So, stopped but never tried a de caf version.

[Autumn_Leaves in reply to 2learn]

I am no expert on the prostate, but I am aware of the POMI-T trial, a formulation that included green tea, which reportedly had favourable results in men with a history of prostate cancer. The trial was run by Prof Robert Thomas, who is an oncologist and advocate of lifestyle medicine (in addition to standard treatment of course). He doesn’t have a high social media profile because he is a working doctor, but has been a guest on the Doctor’s Kitchen podcast with Dr Rupy, and definitely worth a listen. But ultimately you have to do what feels right for you and I’m certainly not encouraging anyone to ignore their doctor’s advice.

[riffjack846]

I don't think it has helped 1 way or the other but I drink it all the time and it tastes real good.

[Dudtbin]

i have drunk green tea for years and like it with a mint leaf in. I use loose leaf Moroccan green tea, its not so bitter as the tea bags.

[Dollcollector]

I dri nk green tea , but very weak. If you make it the same as builders tea it tastes very bitter and stewed.

[fibnum]

I got really tired of having only water with every meal because I was avoiding alcohol, sugary juices, caffeinated drinks and bubbly drinks. I finally began drinking bottled, unsweetened green tea which, according to the label, is low in caffeine. I soon started slipping in a little sweetened tea to take the bitterness out of the taste.

I have been drinking that for 6 months and, for other reasons, I have not had Afib for 9 months, so it hasn't hurt me, apparently. I have no way of knowing whether there are benefits from it, but it is more enjoyable than water. I only have one average-sized glass a day.

[TanyaSo]

Sometimes I drink green tea. Not bad.

[theonethatgotaway1]

A recent study says drinking cups of tea, especially green tea will in fact keep you alive longer