Does green tea wash calcium? Is it true?

On the Internet there are a lot of articles on the topic "Green tea leaches calcium from the body." And about the same number of articles claiming that tea strengthens bones. Do not believe me - try google.

Where is the logic? After all, everyone knows that the strength of bone tissue directly depends on calcium.

Let's try to figure it out.

Calcium is the most important trace element responsible for the formation of bone tissue. A lack of calcium increases the risk of fractures and leads to osteoporosis - excessive bone fragility.

Any liquid, whether it is tea, coffee or just water, brings some substances into our body, and some removes from it. This is a normal natural metabolic process. Calcium is no exception.

Why is green tea accused of leaching calcium?

As always, caffeine is to blame. In green tea, it is enough. By neutralizing the effects of caffeine, calcium stores are released and then removed from the body. Caffeine stimulates the action of the hormone adrenaline, which increases the need for cells (including heart) in calcium. In addition, caffeine is considered a strong diuretic, helps to eliminate a large amount of liquid, along with which calcium is also excreted.

All this is understandable, but let's do some simple calculations.

Scientists estimate that 100 milligrams of caffeine remove 6 milligrams of calcium from the body.
A cup of green tea contains approximately 50 mg of caffeine.
That is, if scientists calculated everything correctly, then it turns out that 1 cup of tea removes 3 mg of calcium from the body.
The chemical composition of the tea leaf, among other things, includes minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, chromium, manganese, selenium, zinc, boron, copper, cobalt, barium, molybdenum and others.
1 gram of tea leaf contains about 5 mg of calcium.
For a standard cup, we take 3-4 grams of tea. It turns out that in a cup of tea about 15 mg of calcium.
It turns out that a cup of tea delivers 12 mg (15-3) calcium to the body! Delivers, but does not wash!
The daily requirement for an adult in calcium is 800 mg.
67 cups of tea per day will provide a daily calcium requirement! Joke :)))

As you can see, caffeine is not at all to blame for the excretion of calcium.

In addition, tea caffeine is qualitatively different from coffee. It is softened by the amino acid theanine and is called tannin. And the amount of tea caffeine varies greatly depending on the type of tea bush, the time of collection, the height of growth above sea level, the type of raw material and other factors. Green tea is a champion in the content of invigorating tannin, but for green tea we took the maximum figure.

The second reason tea is accused of leaching calcium is its diuretic properties. The question is also very controversial. According to studies conducted by British scientists commissioned by one of the tea companies, tea and coffee remove as much fluid from the body as ordinary water. No more, no less.

What improves calcium absorption?

Providing the body with sufficient calcium is very important. But the problem is that 70-80% of this mineral is not absorbed if the body does not have enough phosphorus, magnesium and vitamins.

Green tea contains vitamins A, D, E, C, P, F, K, PP, U, a group of vitamins B, as well as minerals: potassium (up to 20 mg per 1 gram of tea leaf), calcium (up to 5 mg), magnesium (up to 2 mg), iron, chromium, manganese, selenium, zinc, boron, copper, cobalt, barium, fluorine, molybdenum, phosphorus and others.

Vitamin A helps the body absorb calcium, vitamin D increases the bioavailability of calcium, potentiates the absorption of calcium by bone tissue. Calcium is better absorbed in tandem with magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin D.

Manganese also contributes to bone growth, body fluids and the rhythm of the heartbeat are regulated by potassium, fluorine has a beneficial effect on dental health, reducing the likelihood of caries and so on.

Conclusion: green tea promotes the absorption of calcium.

Does green tea strengthen bones?

Chinese researcher Bin Zhonglen from the University of Hong Kong decided to test this hypothesis experimentally. He took from rats the cells from which bone tissue is formed - osteoblasts - and for several days exposed three main components of green tea - catechins. It turned out that one of these substances - epigalocatechin (EGC) - increases the activity of enzymes that promote bone growth by 79%. EGC also significantly increases bone mineralization. Scientists also found that a high concentration of EGC blocks the activity of one of the types of cells - osteoclasts that destroy bone tissue. Moreover, the components of green tea do not have any toxic effect on the cells.

So now you can safely recommend to people who are subject to weakening of bones - osteoporosis, along with calcium preparations, drink plenty of green tea.

Calcium-containing foods:

Milk, dairy products (cottage cheese, hard cheeses), eggs, fish (especially small canned fish, which is eaten along with bones), as well as green vegetables, nuts.

There are additional factors that affect calcium absorption,dressing in our food, for example:

Amount of calcium consumed: The absorption efficiency decreases as the amount of calcium consumed increases.
Age: The level of calcium absorption in infants and young children can reach up to 60%, since they need a large amount of calcium for bone growth.
In adults, the level of calcium absorption drops to 15% -20% and continues to fall with age. Therefore, young people are advised to consume less calcium than the daily amount required by women over 50 and men who are over 70.

It is worth noting that the right balance of substances is always important for health. Even such an important element as calcium can be harmful if it is ingested in excessive quantities.

Summary

Green tea is a great drink that promotes overall health. In addition to vitamins and antioxidants, green tea supplies the body with calcium and substances that contribute to its absorption. Regular consumption of green tea is an excellent prevention of osteoporosis.

And green tea enhances immunity, fills with energy and gives a great mood!

Enjoy this wonderful drink with pleasure and be healthy!