Can the elderly drink strong tea?

　　Drinking tea in moderation every day is right healthy It is beneficial, but regular drinking of strong tea may damage kidney function and cause osteoporosis. Its potential harm cannot be ignored.

　　Nowadays there is a disease It is called "tea-type fluorosis", which refers to chronic fluorosis caused by ingesting too much tea or tea products with high fluoride content. Fluorosis can cause symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, dizziness, headache, and memory loss. Strong tea contains high levels of fluoride, and regular drinking of strong tea can damage the kidneys.

　　Because the kidney is the main excretion organ of fluoride, when the body's excessive intake of fluoride exceeds the excretion capacity of the kidney, fluoride will accumulate in the body and the fluoride content in the kidney will increase significantly. Experiments have shown that excessive fluoride retained in the kidneys can cause damage to the renal cortex and medullary tubules of animals.

　　Many people always think that drinking strong tea can relieve hangover. In fact, strong tea not only does not relieve hangover, but also damages the kidneys. The reason is that theophylline in strong tea can quickly produce a diuretic effect through the kidneys, which will prompt the unoxidized acetaldehyde to enter the kidneys prematurely. Acetaldehyde is highly toxic to the kidneys and can damage glomerular and renal tubular cells, causing harm to kidney function. Therefore, drinking strong tea to relieve hangover is not advisable.

　　Drinking too much strong tea can easily damage your bones. A foreign study and analysis on tea drinking habits and fracture risk among 3,170 elderly people over 50 years old in the United States showed that people who drink 5 cups of strong tea a day have a 70% higher risk of fracture than those who do not drink strong tea. According to a survey conducted by domestic epidemiologists on 4,659 herdsmen in Inner Mongolia.

　　Because they drink strong tea for a long time, their osteoporosis level is 17% higher than that of Han people who do not drink strong tea. Because the content in strong tea coffee It contains more alkali, and caffeine can inhibit the absorption of calcium in the duodenum and accelerate the excretion of calcium in the urine. Due to the dual effects of inhibiting absorption and accelerating excretion, calcium deficiency in the body can easily induce calcium loss in the bones. Over time, it can easily lead to osteoporosis.

　　Therefore, tea should not exceed 5 grams each time and no more than two teas a day. In addition, brick tea and Pu'er tea contain more fluoride, so it is not advisable to drink too much.