Green tea extract might not be so good for you after all

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Green tea extract might not be so good for you after all

If you’re having a cuppa while reading this, there’s a good chance it’s green tea.

The popularity of the ancient herbal brew has skyrocketed in recent years, mainly because it’s touted as preventing cancer, arthritis and other diseases.

"It’s pretty darn popular — more so than black tea," said Gwen of the Tea Brewery, even though few rave about its taste. She spoke Tuesday from her store in Mahone Bay.

"People will come in and say, I know it’s good for me, but I don’t like it."

But one form of the plant may not be such a healthy thing, according to a Halifax liver disease specialist.

In fact, green tea extract in weight-loss pills has been linked to liver failure in patients in Canada, France and other countries, Dr. Marie Laryea said Tuesday in an interview.

Recently in Halifax, a woman who had been taking weight-loss pills had to have a liver transplant.

"There were multiple things that could have caused it, but one of the things that had been noticed was that the patient had been taking green tea extract for weight loss in the weeks prior," said Laryea, a hepatologist at the Queen II Health Sciences Centre.

Green tea extract contains a compound called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, which can be toxic to the liver in high doses. This is the same compound in the tea that is believed to boost the body’s ability to fight disease.

The extract has much higher EGCG levels than the liquid form. You would have to drink about 50 cups of green tea to have problems with toxicity.

"Green tea is a very good beverage and it’s been with us for centuries," Laryea said. "I don’t want people to stop drinking their green tea. But there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing."

It’s possible that some people won’t have a problem with green tea extract. Others could be much more susceptible, Laryea said.

Everyone should be cautious about taking weight-loss pills with high levels of EGCG, Laryea said.

"The threshold dose for liver toxicity would be about 500 milligrams daily, and if you look, a lot of the vitamins are well above that. I have some in my cupboard that are 750 milligrams."

She recommends that people look closely at any form of medicine, herbal or otherwise.

"People think it’s natural and has no byproducts, but a lot of drugs are natural. You have to treat herbal remedies with just as much respect."

As the body’s defence system against toxins, the liver is most likely to be damaged first. The damage can occur gradually, such as through daily consumption of alcohol.

While cirrhosis of the liver is commonly associated with heavy drinking, even moderate daily consumption can be dangerous, particularly for women.

"They are smaller and have less of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol," Laryea said.

Two glasses of wine every day doesn’t sound like much, but "a woman who drinks that amount regularly for 20 years can be cirrhotic by age 40."

Laryea will give a public talk Friday morning on liver health at the Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building in Halifax. For more information, call 423-8538 or email atlantic@....

( jmcphee@...)

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