Facts of Tea with Milk

Many people like adding milk to tea, but overdrinking this beverage could be hazardous to health. Learn the facts of tea with milk and drink modestly.

The causes of potential dangers:

1.    Black tea (or red tea for Asian saying) is commonly used in tea with milk. It is a post-fermented tea and the caffeine level is three times of green tea’s. Drinking too much may affect sleep.

2.    People often like adding two teaspoons of sugar to make the tea with milk taste better. This addition counts 30% of the daily maximum allowance of sugar intake.

3.    If evaporated milk is used, the percentage of fat is higher.

4.    For people not growing up with a regular use of dairy products, their bodies could fail in decomposing lactose that is in tea with milk and can induce diarrhea.

5.    Caffeine in tea together with lactose in milk will stimulate the secretion of hydrochloric acid in gastric juice and failure of handling the extra secretion properly will weaken the stomach.

6.    Oxalic acid in black tea together with the calcium in evaporated milk may bring forth calculus.

7.    Tannins in tea will hinder the intake of iron. Drinking milk tea for every meal may lead to anemia in the long run.

The facts reveal several potential dangers; hence, it is important to stop overdrinking. Many people are unguarded concerning the beverages in every meal. The loyalty to tea with milk could engage them in chronic overdrinking. The diehard fans will run a higher risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, calculus and anemia.

How to stop overdrinking tea with milk:

1)    Shift to different beverages rather than picking tea with milk every time. Start with the beverage for every meal to avoid overdrinking. Healthy replacements include vegetable and fruit juices. Among all options, water is the best. 

2)    If one drink is milk, another drink is tea, remember to arrange a longer interval between these two separate drinks so that the beverages won’t cause an unwanted mixing up in your stomach to do harm.

Symptoms of overdrinking tea with milk:

For those who are unaccustomed to drinking milk tea, a few sips could be counted as overdrinking, causing discomfort. Stop drinking if you have any symptom in the list below:

a. Rapider heart beat
b. Sleepless
c. Lose appetite
d. Stomach bloating
e. Diarrhea
f. Gastralgia

Fans may drink several cups in a day without suffering from any symptom aforementioned. However, this does not mean that they are free from the health risks.

No matter you love tea with milk or not, always take notice of the facts and always drink this beverage modestly for the sake of your own health.

Reference: A piece of news from Ming Pao reporting an experiment done by a TV broadcast station on drinking a lot of tea with milk, dated September 8, 2011.

Author’s note:

Tea alone has many options available. Each option has their own health benefits, for example, some teas are good for eyes. Despite the tastes and the health benefits, it is worthwhile to learn about the proper way of drinking each beverage and always drink modestly. The two articles below may give you some ideas on what I am saying.

Good Eyes Herbal Tea: Chrysanthemum & Wolfberry Tea

Make and Drink Green Tea Properly