Saturday, October 10, 2009

About Chinese Diet Teas: Are They Safe?

By Sean Phelps

Diet tea has been consumed for many years by dieters. It is common to see private labeled diet tea products in grocery stores. Many believe diet tea is good for diets because it is less than 5 calories per serving, has caffeine that helps the body burn more calories, and has polyphenols which aid in the digestion of fat.

Dieting tea comes in many different names: slimming tea, weight loss tea, fasting tea, and so on. These teas play on consumers desires to just drink this tea and you will magically lose weight. People want to lose weight but only if it is easy. It is just like how the pill industry plays on consumers desires to just swallow this pill and you will suddenly lose weight. The danger with marketing tea in this manner is that tea is a laxative. Laxatives can cause diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, fainting, and even death if consumed in large amounts.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) once stressed that the laxative teas and dietary supplements of most concern are those containing one or more of the substances, such as aloe, senna, rhubarb root, buckthorn, castor oil, and cascara. These products are derived from plants and have been used since time immemorial for their ability to relieve constipation and promote bowel movements. They are deemed effective for such purposes with occasional use.

There seems to be a urban legend that stated frequent bowel movements prevent the absorption of calories and help one to lose weight. This is not true. Medical studies have been done that show this urban legend is false. The reason is that laxative-induced diarrhea does not work in the small intestine which is where the calories are absorbed. Laxatives only work in the colon which is at the lower end of the bowel.

It is also important to note that you should not steep a tea longer than the product label recommends. Steeping the tea longer can lead to over consumption of laxative ingredients. This also happens when the diet teas are taken more than the recommended amount.

It has been noted that for those first-time users who drank Chinese diet teas more than the recommended amount, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea are the common disorders to occur and will last for several days. When these laxatives are used continually, laxative dependency will tend to develop with bouts of chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain as well as constipation. In the most severe cases, these laxatives can cause fainting, dehydration and serious electrolyte disorders. As noted, these after-effects of excessive use of Chinese diet teas are most likely to develop in people who are nutritionally compromised due to rigorous weight-loss dieting.

Because of these concerns, the FDA is now considering requiring the manufacturers of labeled Chinese diet teas to place warning labels on all of their product stimulant laxatives. It is also important that those who are using Chinese diet teas for any purpose must read and follow the recommended directions carefully. The words indicated on the label under warning must then be given attention.

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