Can you drink green tea for polycystic kidney disease patients? Dr. Puneet Dhawan.

Green tea is the healthiest drink ever. It is a blessing sent straight from heaven for the welfare of mankind. It has the healing powers of curing chronic illness. It is beneficial for polycystic kidney disease patients. Today we will discuss the benefits of green tea for polycystic kidney disease patients.

Green Tea is the tea made from the Camellia sinensis leaves, which undergo a process of withering and oxidation. There are numerous varieties of green tea, and they differ based on the growing conditions, the process of production, and the time of harvest. The green tea originates from China & Japan.

There are so many variants available in the market to choose from; such as:

Jasmine green tea
Moroccan mint green tea
Genmaicha green tea
Dragonwell green tea
Houjicha green tea
Kukicha green tea
Sencha green tea
Gyokuro green tea
Matcha green tea
Bi Luo Chun green tea
Ginger mint green tea
Dandelion lemon green tea
Lemon green tea
Tulsi green tea
“Green Tea For Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients”.

The potassium content is about 60 mg which is not high for a beverage. The caffeine in green tea may increase blood pressure. It might also affect blood sugar control, according to the National Institutes of Health web site and many people with kidney disease also have high blood pressure or diabetes.

Now, let us talk about Polycystic Kidney Diseases. What is PKD?

PKD or polycystic kidney disease is a disease that is inherited by the parent/s. PKD is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney

How to know if you are having PKD?

Before any disease hit our bodies, it takes a pinch by giving us the signs and symptoms; like:

Back and side pain
High blood pressure
Increased size of the abdominal area
Feebly beating of the heart
“Green Tea For Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients”.

Back & side pain: When the cysts are growing inside your body it causes pain at your sides and back. It may feel like someone has stabbed you so hard.

High blood pressure: This is very common in a PKD patient. The cysts growing on the surface of the kidneys and surrounding area obstructs the arteries and veins to transfer blood. Hence it puts a lot of pressure for blood to reach the respective organ. The extra force relates to high pressure and it increases the blood pressure of a polycystic kidney disease patients and green tea.

Increased size of the abdomen: The cysts grow in size with the growing time. As they grow large in size they start making a space for themselves which results in increased abdominal size.

Feebly beating of heart: It is the initial sign and a common symptom that why your heart is beating fast and why do you feel a tapping inside the body.

How it can be diagnosed?

Though it is a genetic disorder and can be understood if it is inherited but certain tests can be useful. Following is the list of tests that can help in diagnosing the polycystic kidney diseases:

CT scan
MRI scan
Genetic tests

Does PKD will lead to kidney failure only?

No, not everyone with polycystic kidney disease leads to kidney failure only. There are medical treatments available to cure PKD. If left untreated at the initial stages then it may lead you to kidney failure. “Green Tea For Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients”.

There are two types of PKD:

Autosomal Dominant PKD (ADPKD): This is diagnosed in adulthood.
Autosomal Recessive PKD (ARPKD): This can be diagnosed in womb or right after the baby is born.

How common is PKD?

In India, 2 in a group of 8 people are affected by polycystic kidney disease. In USA 4 in a group of 8 are affected by PKD. It is a common disease found both in men and women.

Does PKD affect other organs of the body?

Yes! Polycystic kidney disease affects organs like liver, pancreas, spleen, and ovaries. It can also affect the brain and heart; as it will obstruct the functioning of kidneys in filtering the blood and transferring.

How can a PKD diagnose?

Though it is a genetic disorder and can be understood if it is inherited but certain tests can be useful. Following is the list of tests that can help in diagnosing the polycystic kidney diseases:

CT scan
MRI scan
Genetic tests

Beneficial facts of green tea on polycystic kidney disease Patients:

Green tea is a great source of anti-oxidants: It helps in filtering the toxins from the body
Green tea is also a great source of anti-inflammatory properties. It helps the kidneys from inflammation.
Green tea regulates blood pressure
Green tea reduces the risk of type2 diabetes
Green tea promotes brain health
“Green Tea For Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients”.

Other than the above stated green tea comes with other benefits such as:

It helps in losing weight
It prevents tooth decay
It is anti-depressing tea
It helps in curing a hangover
It helps in curing the puffy eyes
It helps in curing the dark circles
It improves digestion
It boosts immunity
It helps in relieving arthritis
It cuts the risk of cancer

Green tea extracts exert a host of so-called “epigenetic” effects, which means that they promote the expression of beneficial genes and suppress many of those with deleterious effects. Highly-purified, EGCG-rich green tea extracts produce rapid increases in plasma antioxidant activity in humans. That may offer an advantage over simply drinking green tea because the extract of EGCG is much more readily absorbed in dry powder form than it is from green tea beverages.

Why consuming a moderate amount of green tea is recommended to PKD patient?

High doses of green tea can increase the amount of caffeine in our body that can cause side effects mild to severe, like headache, nervousness, sleep problems, nausea, diarrhea, irritability, irregular heartbeat, tremor, heartburn, dizziness, and confusions. It is vital to consume green tea, but after consulting your doctor or dietician.

Green tea can make anemia worse.
The amount of caffeine in green tea can increase the problem of anxiety.
The people with a bleeding disorder should not consume green tea because the amount of caffeine in them can increase the disease. “Green Tea For Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients”.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding the consumption of small 2 cups of green tea is possibly safe. But more than 1 cup of green tea can increase the chances of miscarriage and other noxious effects due to the amount of caffeine. Along with that, green tea increase the danger of birth defects associated with folic acid deficiency, Women’s who are nursing, consumption o caffeine can turn dangerous for them as caffeine passes into breast milk and affect a nursing infant.

These days’ people prefer to for natural things, instead of artificially manufactured one. Problems like cancer and kidney diseases are increasing due to an unhealthy lifestyle that is the reason why it is very necessary to take care of your diet. People are like green tea for polycystic kidney disease patients because they want to have a disease-free life and for that, they are taking precautions.

In this blog, you will read about the 3 varieties of green teas and the positive and negative points of drinking green tea.

The 3 main varieties of green teas are –

Gyokuro – It is also named as Jade Dew, especially in those trades where it is known as shaded green tea. Shaded green tea because your tea bushes are covered with a cotton cloth to shielding it from the direct sunlight at least for the three weeks it has to grow. Due to the limiting the quantity of light, the genes of catechins from amino acids is suppressed. Following are some of the benefits of drinking your green tea.

It is beneficial to fight free radicals that are accountable for the growth of tumors.
It strengthens the immune system.
It helps you to fight detrimental bacteria and decrease the risk of cancer.

Genmaicha – It is made up of brown rice that is why it is also known as brown rice tea. And, following are the 10 benefits of drinking Genmaicha green tea. “Green Tea For Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients”.

Regulates thyroid hormones
Ameliorate blood flow
Help to fight obesity
Strengthen kidneys
Improves brain function
Help fight against asthma
Prevent sleep problems
Improve digestion
Increases concentration
Decrease elevated blood sugar levels

Sencha – It is the most common of green tea which is quite famous in Japan. Here are a few of the positive effects of drinking Sencha green tea. “Green Tea For Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients”.

It has anti-cancer properties.
It boosts metabolism.
It enhances your energy.
It reduces your increased blood pressure or hypertension.
It stimulates cognition
It strengthens your immune system.
It is beneficial for healthy skin

These are the best green tea’s you should drink to live a disease-free life.

The positive and negative points of drinking green tea –

Nowadays, where people are attracted to artificial things, some of the people are adopting natural herbs in the form of green tea to maintain a healthy body.

Instead of drinking green tea for polycystic kidney disease patients or other health ailments. The amount of caffeine and potassium is high in coffee or tea that is not healthy for your body. Yes, there is some amount of caffeine in green tea’s, but not in much amount. So, overconsumption of anything is not good for you, better to consult a doctor or dietician about the quantity of cup of green tea, you can drink per day.

Mostly all types of green tea’s are made up of Camellia Sinensis plants. Green teas are manufactured by steaming; pan-frying the leaves of camellia Sinensis and let them dry for some time. And, the other green tea’s like black and oolong are made up of fermented leaves.

Can you drink green tea if you have kidney disease? Thousands of people are searching for it, but they don’t know that green tea not only benefits the kidneys as well as prevent some of the health ailments.

By consuming green tea, you can prevent the following of the health issues.

Improve mental alertness and thinking
Depression
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease)
Weight loss
Stomach disorders
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Headaches
Bone loss (osteoporosis)
Parkinson’s disease
Low blood pressure
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
Dental cavities (caries)
Kidney stone

The other major diseases like –

Breast cancer
Prostate cancer
Colon cancer
Gastric cancer
Lung cancer
Liver cancer
Tumor cancers
Leukemia
Skin cancer

Green tea also helps women to fight human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause the following problems–

Genital warts
Abnormal cells in the cervix (cervix dysplasia)
Cervical cancer

Green tea not only provides you with a healthy body, but its bags are beneficial for your skin also.

The benefits of applying green tea bags on your skin are –

Soothe sunburn and reduces the risk of getting skin cancer.
Heal puffiness around the eyes.

You can drink green tea if you have polycystic kidney disease and migraine.

But, do not consume green tea more than 2 cups per day because of the amount of caffeine in it that can damage your kidneys. One side where green tea detoxes the kidneys, while on the other side, can cause lots of side effects too. So, on the off chance, that you have problems like high creatinine level, protein or blood in the urine, and other kidney-related problems, then head to your doctor or dietician to know about the consumption of green tea.

Green tea for kidney patients can be effective and efficient as well as for the following health ailments.

Abnormal development of cells of the cervix (cervical dysplasis)
Clogged arteries (coronary artery disease)
Endometrial cancer
High or low blood pressure
Thick, white patches on the gums (oral leokoplakia)
Ovarian cancer
Parkinson’s disease
Ache
Bladder cancer
Breast cancer
Athletic performance
Diabetes
Stomach cancer
Liver and lung cancer
Metabolic syndrome
Obesity
Pain after surgery
Stroke
Pneumonia
Wrinkled skin

Green tea is safe for everyone, whether he is a kidney patient or a healthy person, but in a moderate amount. Following are some of the negative effects of green tea. “Green Tea For Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients”.

Fragile-digestion
Kidney problems
High cholesterol
Stomach ache
Severe headache
Nervousness
Dizziness
Heartburn
Anemia
Anxiety
Bleeding disorder

Along with that, the consumption of more than 1 cup of green tea can enhance the risk of miscarriage. Women’s who are nursing, consumption of caffeine whether in coffee, tea or green tea can turn hazardous for them as caffeine passes into breasts milk and harm a nursing infant.

So, it very vital to concern to your healthcare provider about the consumption of green tea for polycystic kidney disease patients.