Drinking a Lot of Green Tea Could Mess with Your Fertility

Mmm...There's nothing more satisfying than a nice cup of green tea in the morning. It's tasty and [...]

green tea

Mmm...There's nothing more satisfying than a nice cup of green tea in the morning. It's tasty and gives you a nice energy boost. Plus, it's got a whole slew of health benefits (like reducing your risk of skin cancer and revving up your memory) since it's packed with antioxidants.

But can there be too much of a good thing? According to a study in the January 2016 issue of the Journal of Functional Food, drinking too much of the herbal stuff might negatively affect your — and your dude's — fertility. Women's Health has the scoop below.

For the study, researchers exposed 48 Dropsophilia melanogaster fruit flies to various doses of the antioxidants, known as green tea polyphenols (and referred to as GTP in the study), found in the beverage. They gave six flies of each sex four different amounts of GTP: zero, two and a half, five, and 10 milligrams. Afterwards, the researchers dissected the fruit flies' reproductive organs and examined their water, lipid, and protein content to test for toxicity.

What they found: Female fruit flies given 10 milligrams of GTP (considered a high dose for the flies) had a "significant reduction in reproduction," write the study authors. What's more, the offspring of male and female flies treated with the high dose of GTP were smaller as adults compared to the control group's kiddies. The baby flies whose parents were treated with GTP also had genital abnormalities (the male flies exhibited testicle atrophy, while the female flies had smaller ovarian structures and less mature eggs). Overall, the researchers said the effects were greater in female fruit flies than in the male ones (womp, womp).

To learn more about green tea and fertility issues, click here to read the original story from Women's Health.

>> Enjoy our Detox Green Tea in moderation.

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