It’s so hard for a consumer to trust anything these days. While green tea is often seen as a healthy alternative to other forms of caffeine and a cornerstone of natural living, there appears to be potential dangers lurking in this concoction for those who take blood pressure medication. Tea labels may have to be changed accordingly, to give customers more of a sense of the possible problems that could result.
The BBC reported on the news of these findings, which could affect the way in which we understand and consume green tea. The medicine that seems to be the agitator is nadolol, the effects of which were measured over the course of two weeks.
Because green tea is less processed and more potent, the chemical ingredients in it weaken the blood pressure medicine, although it’s possible that pacing consumption so that partakers drink this tea in proportion to their pills could lead to a healthier solution and less damaging effects in consumers.
However, the source also quoted a representative from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society named Sotiris Antoniou on how these damaging effects shouldn’t be exaggerated.
“This has yet to be confirmed and is only extrapolated from our experience with grapefruit for this type of interaction,” he said. “What is clear as healthcare providers is that we need to ask patients about their consumption of various fruits and supplements such as grapefruit and green tea, and this needs to be documented in the clinical notes.”
Making labels for the health conscious should take all possible circumstances into account and try to address potential problems with medication.