Many fibrous foods like fruits and leafy vegetables act as laxatives. Laxatives can be foods or drugs that make you poop easily and regulate your bowel movements. You might have experienced a laxative effect on consuming coffee. Another most preferred drink is green tea. Is green tea a laxative or does green tea make you poop? Yes, it does but not in every case.
Few people feel it helps push the waste out of the body more quickly, while others don’t see much difference in their bowel movements upon consuming green tea.
Does Green Tea Actually Make You Poop?
Green tea and black tea both come from the same plant called Camellia Sinensis. The difference is in the fermentation or oxidation process used to make the tea. Green tea and black tea both contain some amount of caffeine.
Caffeine acts as a stimulating agent. It is known to stimulate the nervous system. But what isn’t known is that caffeine also stimulates bowel movements. Caffeine is a natural laxative and helps relieve constipation.
The answer to “does green tea make you poop?” depends on a number of factors such as the brewing time, consumption time, quantity, and so on. Let us find out if green tea helps one poop.
Why Green Tea Makes You Poop? Factors that make it Laxative
1. Brewing time
Green tea has less amount of caffeine compared to coffee and black tea. A cup of coffee contains 100 milligrams of caffeine while the same serving of green tea contains between 14 and 60 milligrams of caffeine. The longer you brew the tea the higher the caffeine content.
Green tea that is brewed for 60 to 90 seconds contains about 35 mg of caffeine. This stimulates bowel movements; the poop gets quickly accumulated in the colon and is immediately thrown out of the body.
2. Quantity
Does green tea make you poop if you drink it in moderation? Drinking green tea in moderation doesn’t make you poop. One can safely have two to three cups of green tea per day.
A new drinker should limit their intake to only one cup and allow the body to get used to it over a period of time. If you intake green tea in large quantities it may lead to irritable bowel syndrome.
3. Consumption time
If you have green tea as the first thing in the morning it may make you poop. Green tea has antioxidants that stimulate the digestive system. Having green tea with meals will slow down the stimulation.
How Green Tea Makes You Poop?
Green tea makes the first time drinkers poop due to the following reasons:
1. Improves the colon health
Mucoid plaques get formed in the gastrointestinal tract. Over time this mucus coating gets hardened and leads to weak immune system and irregular digestion.
Green tea helps clean the colon by flushing out mucoid plaques and toxins from the colon. As green tea flushes out built-up waste in the body, one may feel that it has a laxative effect.
2. Helps functioning of liver and kidneys
Green tea contains polyphenols such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and other catechins. It helps in the functioning of the liver and kidneys by flushing out environmental toxins from the body.
The catechins in green tea bind to the toxins that we consume through food, such as metals, and throw them out of the body.
Side Effects: Can Green Tea Cause Diarrhea?
Newbies may experience loose stools upon consuming green tea. It may happen due to the caffeine content. As your body gets used to green tea, these symptoms subside with time.
According to an article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the caffeine in green tea makes your intestine take in more fluid.
This causes more fluid to be excreted as you poop. Also, green tea increases the motility of stools. A person sensitive to caffeine may have shorter transit time and loose stools.
The loose stools may make you lose more electrolytes and cause dehydration. To avoid dehydration, one should start with a smaller quantity initially.
Green tea works as a diuretic as caffeine also has a stimulating effect on the urinary system which makes you pee. The body produces more urine that is eventually flushed out. To prevent dehydration, one should consume enough fluids.
So, does green tea make you poop? It depends on the way you have it and also the quantity. Having green tea on an empty stomach may lead to loose motions and frequent urination if your body is not used to it.
To prevent this, you can have it with breakfast. The body has a good metabolic rate in the morning so one must avoid green tea as the first drink in the morning.
While diarrhea is common on green tea consumption, in case you experience severe diarrhea or the symptoms persist for more than two days, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Related:
- Does Green Tea Make You Sleepy?
- Green Tea Vs. Green Juice: What’s Healthier?
- Is Green Tea Alkaline or Acidic?
- When to Drink Green Tea for Maximum Benefits
Sources:
Renee, J., “Can Green Tea Cause Diarrhea?,” Jun 17, 2016;
http://www.livestrong.com/article/391649-can-green-tea-cause-diarrhea/.
McCoy, W., “Is Green Tea a Laxative?,” Livestrong web site, June 10, 2015;
http://www.livestrong.com/article/524301-can-decaffeinated-green-tea-make-you-lose-weight/.
“Does Green Tea Make You Poop ?,” Activewomoms web site;
http://www.activewomoms.com/does-green-tea-make-you-poop/, last accessed May 16, 2017