Green tea has been a favorite drink of many because of its benefits, but it doesn't appear to be the case in a teenager from United Kingdom.
A 16-year-old girl suffered negative health effects from drinking green tea, according to reports.
After experiencing symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and joint pains, the unidentified girl went to seek medical attention. The doctor previously thought that the girl was experiencing a urinary tract infection of some kind, and she was then given antibiotics.
After two days, her symptoms didn't improve. She went to Birmingham University Hospital for jaundice complaints.
The doctors believed she had hepatitis, a reaction to harmful substances causing the liver to be inflamed.
She did recall that she had bought Chinese green tea from the Internet, which she used as a weight loss aid. She did lose a few pounds, but she started to feel some pains in her joints.
The case was already brought to the British Medical Journal for studying and was published on Sept. 23.
Authors found that "after ceasing green tea consumption, there was a rapid and sustained recovery of her hepatitis."
Green tea may be popular for its antioxidant properties and many other health benefits, such as improving circulation of blood and lowering the levels of bad cholesterol.
However, the doctors found that the green tea was the culprit in the hepatitis case and they even advised the girl to immediately stop drinking the beverage.
This does not mean that the authors discourage the consumption of the beverage. According to them, green tea is still a safe health drink that packs several health benefits.
"We acknowledge that green tea is predominantly a very safe and healthy drink, with antioxidant properties."
For the recent case, authors believe that other chemicals present in the tea, possibly those that help with weight loss, may have contaminated the drink and caused the illness.
