Referred to as one of the healthiest beverages in the world, green tea is incredibly good for you.
It’s loaded with antioxidants and very few calories, which makes it a wonderful addition to any diet.
Some people drink green tea to help with several health conditions, including heartburn.
Because of that, you may wonder exactly how green tea can help with this condition.
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Is Green Tea Good For Heartburn?
Green tea is less acidic than black tea and coffee. So, in some cases, drinking it may help alleviate some acid reflux symptoms like heartburn. But, in other people, drinking tea can also worsen heartburn, as all types of tea contain theine, which is a substance similar to coffee found in tea.
Because of that, whether drinking green tea helps heartburn is very individual.
Don't know what to drink? Check out these articles: 20 Most and Least Acidic Juices and 20+ Alcoholic Drinks Ranked by Acidity Level
Is green tea acidic?
Freshly brewed green tea has a pH level of above 7.2. While it’s not a completely alkaline beverage, it’s one of the least acidic and erosive drinks, especially for people dealing with acid reflux symptoms.
Unfortunately, drinking green tea can still increase gastric acid production and cause heartburn, particularly if you drink a lot of it at once.
Bottled green tea is much more acidic and has a lower pH level. Most commercial brands of green tea have a pH level ranging between 2.92-3.72.
They’re also loaded with sugar and preservatives that worsen acid reflux symptoms and may lead to high blood sugar levels as well as increase your risk of diabetes.
Because of that, it’s best to limit your consumption of bottled teas of all kinds.
Is green tea healthy?
A single cup of green tea contains barely any calories. It’s also rich in fat-burning compounds, so drinking it can help you lose weight.
Green tea helps you stay hydrated, which helps curb your appetite and increase the feeling of fullness after eating.
What’s more, according to research, green tea and green tea extracts boost your metabolic rate, increasing how many calories you’re burning.
Green tea is loaded with bioactive compounds, particularly those called polyphenols. These substances have various health benefits, including reduced inflammation and cancer prevention.
They may also prevent cell damage and reduce the formation of free radicals in your body. Various research also shows that these natural compounds help prevent many more chronic conditions, making green tea an excellent beverage for a healthy diet.
Drinking green tea also helps keep you alert due to the theine it contains. As a result, green tea may help you avoid feeling tired, especially if you don’t enjoy drinking coffee or energy drinks.
Consuming green tea can also improve your concentration and boost brain function by stimulating neurons in your brain. These compounds may also boost your mood, reaction time, and even memory.
Other research shows that the compounds called catechin found in green tea may lower your risk of several cognitive disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Green tea, just like other types of tea, is rich in antioxidants. These special compounds help flush our free radicals from your body, preventing oxidative stress and damage.
Oxidation is linked to an increased risk of several chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer.
Green tea, in particular, is loaded with antioxidants, which makes it a great addition to a healthy diet.
How can green tea help with heartburn?
Brewed green tea is prepared with hot water, which helps you stay hydrated. It also dilutes stomach acid, reducing the risk of acid reflux.
Because of that, drinking small amounts of plain green tea can alleviate symptoms like heartburn.
Warm water also soothes your esophagus and reduces irritation caused by gastric acid, further helping to reduce your symptoms.
Green tea also contains some anti-inflammatory compounds, which may help reduce inflammation and irritation in your stomach and esophagus.
This may decrease your risk of acid reflux symptoms and make them less severe if you do experience them.
In addition, drinking green tea after a large meal can stimulate digestion, preventing the food from staying in your stomach too long. This also reduces the likelihood of heartburn.
It’s also worth noting that green tea can only help with acid reflux symptoms when you drink it instead of taking green tea extracts.
This is because most of the anti-heartburn capabilities of green tea are linked to water, which can dilute stomach acids while soothing your esophagus.
Can green tea worsen your heartburn?
In general, drinking all types of tea has been linked to an increased risk of GERD and acid reflux symptoms.
This is often due to the theine found in tea as well as other compounds. Because of that, most doctors recommend limiting your consumption of tea, including green tea, if you notice that it gives you heartburn.
In those cases, it might be beneficial to replace tea with water, low-acid juices, or uncarbonated soda.
What’s more, green tea contains theine, which is a substance similar to caffeine. When consumed in large amounts, it tends to relax the muscles found between your stomach and esophagus, making you more likely to experience heartburn.
When these muscles relax, they allow acid reflux to come up to your esophagus, which can be unpleasant.
So, if you experience this issue after drinking green tea, try eliminating it from your diet.
If you tend to drink your green tea with sugar, you can also worsen your acid reflux. Sugar is hard for your stomach to digest, which forces it to produce more gastric acid.
This acid can then back up into your esophagus, causing heartburn. Sugar also contributes to weight gain, which may worsen acid reflux symptoms in most individuals.
Because of that, if you do drink tea, try doing so without adding sugar.
Conclusion
Whether drinking green tea helps with heartburn depends on the individual and the severity of acid reflux and GERD symptoms.
It’s hard to determine exactly how green tea will impact your digestive tract until you try it.
Some studies do show that drinking green tea can ease the symptoms and keep you hydrated. So, it might be worth trying, especially if you already enjoy green tea.