Re: Does tea make you constipated ?

Hello, Steven.

Personally, I haven't experienced this reaction, neither with black nor green tea, not even with coffee for that matter, although I sometimes drink up to 4 cups.

That said, science cannot be judged solely on anecdotal evidence. Therefore I checked PubMed online and found an article published in the British Medical Journal, Volume 282, dated March 14, 1981. A small group of subjects were tested over two 7 day periods, drinking just plain water one week and tea the next. It turned out that after careful fecal and urine measurements, there was a noted decrease in bowel movement transit time after tea consumption, which was not noted with water consumption.

The reasoning behind this phenomenon is due to tea's theophylline content which acts as a diuretic. The less water available to pass stools, the longer and harder it becomes to evacuate.

Remember too that tea contains tannins and caffeine which also act as diuretics. The same goes for cocoa products and likewise coffee.

Of course, such effects would be dependent on amounts consumed. Remember, "only the dose makes the poison."

Finally, some teas like herbal teas, such as chamomile, senna, etc. can reverse constipation, but overuse can also cause diarrhea.

Hope that helps,

Peter Bosani.

Reference:
Højgaard L, Arffmann S, Jørgensen M, Krag E.
Tea consumption: a cause of constipation?
Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1981 Mar 14;282(6267):864.