Green Tea Caffeine
If you are searching for green tea caffeine, then you are already aware of that green tea contains caffeine, but do you know how much caffeine is in a cup of green tea?
How much caffeine is in a cup of green tea?
A cup of green tea contains three to four times less caffeine than a single cup of coffee. That means approximately 20-30 mg of caffeine in an 8 oz. cup of green tea compared to 100 mg and even more caffeine in an 8oz. cup of coffee. Here is a small list for you to compare green tea to coffee and other types of green tea:
- A cup of coffee contains 100 mg
- Black tea contains 40 to 50 mg
- Oolong (red) tea contains 25 to 35 mg
- Green tea contains 20 to 30 mg
- Decaf black tea contains only 4 mg
- Decaf green tea contains only 4 mg
Green tea – an alternative to your daily cup of coffee
If you are wondering whether green tea could be an alternative to your daily cup of coffee, then the answer is “YESâ€, but ONLY in case you wanna lower and gradually cut back on you high daily caffeine intake.
If you drink two or more cups of coffee every day (like most people, including me), with two to four cups of green tea daily, in fact your caffeine intake would be equal to one cup of coffee daily.
That’s great because you’ll be drinking green tea three or more times and will feel as refreshed as if you are drinking coffee. But that’s not all, because the total refreshing effect of green tea is not its only benefit. Green tea extract (rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine) increases the energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans, which helps people lose weight – the most important benefit of green tea, for which it’s so popular and most wanted.
More benefits of green tea read here
How green tea caffeine actually works?
The green tea caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, respiratory, cardiac, and skeletal muscle systems. If you take it in moderation it has mild stimulant effect on kidney and also causes coronary artery dilation and smooth muscle relaxation. In excess amounts can cause insomnia and digestive problems.
Green tea caffeine – is it good for everyone?
An interesting fact about caffeine consumption is that it’s not harmful to the cardiovascular system and does not aggravate hypertension, which makes green tea harmless for people with cardiovascular or hypertension problems.
However people who have heart, kidney or anxiety problems should avoid green tea. It’s also not recommended for people who suffer stomach ulcers.
Breastfeeding women should not drink any caffeine containing beverages, because it could cause sleep disorders in babies and infants. As for the pregnant women – they could take some green tea in small amounts and be careful not to exceed the amount of 400 mg of caffeine (more than 6 cups of green tea), because this could cause a miscarriage and some other serious side effects on pregnant women.
Read more about drinking green tea while pregnant here
Caffeine may interact with some prescription drugs, such as blood pressure medications and drugs treating depression, oral contraceptives, sedatives etc.
If you take any of these or other medications, please first consult a health professional before start taking green tea.