Safety Concerns of Chinese Diet Teas

For many years, Chinese teas were considered excellent supplements for someone who is on a diet. Many companies have produced and distributed them being labeled as Chinese Diet Tea, and marketed them for dieters. The reason that Chinese teas are believed to be beneficial for dieters is because they contain only four calories in each serving, and caffeine has long been thought to increase metabolism. In addition, tea contains products called “polyphenols” which are known to aid in the digestion of fat. These are all compelling reasons to supplement a weight loss diet with Chinese Tea. But are they safe?

There are a lot of names for diet teas. Packaging labels may use such key words such as “fasting”, “slimming”, “super diet”, or “weight loss”. All of them have the same connotations. Drink this tea and you will lose weight. On the question of safety, however, many experts believe that what is actually causing the weight loss, is actually a plant based chemical with laxative effects, which makes you lose “water weight”. It is proven that long term use of laxatives can have negative side effects. Experts note that excessive amounts of “diet teas” can cause things such minor complaints such as and nausea and cramping. However, more serious concerns have been pointed out—vomiting, diarrhea, unrelieved constipation, or even death.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) once expressed that specific ingredients in these teas were actually the culprits of the negative health effects. These ingredients are aloe, senna, rhubarb root, buckthorn, castor oil, and cascara. These are all natural products that have been used for hundreds of years to relieve bloating, constipation, and to promote bowel movements. However, they are deemed effective for these purposes only when used occasionally.

We must point out, that many people believe that excessive use of “Chinese Diet Teas” will prevent the absorption of nutrients from one’s food. Many studies have shown, however, that the laxative inducing diarrhea actually happens in the colon, or at the end of the bowels. The absorption of calories actually occurs prior to reaching the colon in the small intestine.

When diet teas are overused, however, you can develop some short term as well as long term negative effects. Studies have shown that beginner diet tea drinkers, who steep the tea longer than the recommended time or drink more than the recommended amount, can develop stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. These may even last for several days.

When these laxatives are used continually, it is possible to develop a dependency on them. You may even develop more events of chronic diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and constipation. In the most severe cases, excessive use of laxatives will cause fainting, dehydration and serious electrolyte disorders. Although these effects can be quite dangerous, it must be noted that these negative effects generally only affect those that are already nutritionally compromised due to excessive dieting.

Due to these many possible negative side effects of using diet teas, the FDA is considering requiring manufacturers print warning labels on their products stating it will produce laxative effects. Those who are considering drinking Chinese diet teas must pay careful attention to the recommended use and preparation steps. Also, one should pay special attention to any warning statements on the box.