Is Decaffeinated Green Tea Still Healthy?

Some people just love caffeine. Some even love it too much for their own good. We all know that caffeine, when taken in large amounts can be addictive and can damage the brain. But we're only talking about the caffeine that's being sold around as illegal drugs. What about the caffeine that comes with coffee and tea?

The effects are actually similar even if they are taken through either coffee or tea. Here are some more harmful effects of this substance when taken in uncontrolled dosages: it can cause heart palpitation, increase heart rate, nervousness & irritability, abnormal muscle contractions, indigestion, and even increase the risk of myocardial infarction.

Thus, some beverages which normally have this substance, like coffee and tea, now come in decaffeinated versions. That is, versions wherein the caffeine content has been removed. There is however a question as to whether this procedure decreases the health benefits of these beverages.

For example, green tea is known to have a good concentration of flavanols and antioxidants. If caffeine is removed, does it have any effect on the concentration of these two? Research has shown that, as a matter of fact, it does. The flavanol and antioxidant levels change substantially enough. Thus, when deciding on whether or not to take the decaf version of green tea, you must weigh the pros and the cons.

There might be a way around this dilemma though. You can increase your intake of decaffeinated green tea if you still want to absorb the same amount of flavanols and antioxidants as the non-decaf versions. The only other component that you'll be increasing in the process is water, which is not easily harmful.

Most of the popular brands have decaf green tea versions in their product lines. You can also decaffeinate tea yourself by steeping it in boiling water for around 20 seconds. When you pour out the water and brew as usual, you'll be able to remove up to 90% of the caffeine.

The caffeine content of black tea is much greater than green tea. Hence, if you favor black over green but want to get rid of the caffeine, perform the decaf tea process mentioned in the previous paragraph.