What are the benefits and drawbacks of drinking tea on an empty stomach?

Generally speaking, drinking tea on an empty stomach has several benefits, including promoting intestinal motility, freshening breath, refreshing the mind, replenishing body fluids, and assisting in regulating blood lipids. However, it also has potential drawbacks such as irritating the gastric mucosa, affecting nutrient absorption, causing blood sugar fluctuations, increasing cardiac burden, and inducing tea intoxication. A detailed analysis is as follows:

Benefits

1. Promoting Intestinal Motility
   The the polyphenols and caffeine in tea can stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa, accelerate intestinal peristalsis, help eliminate residual metabolic waste, and alleviate mild constipation. This benefit is particularly suitable for people who need to defecate in the morning.
2. Freshening Breath
   Tea polyphenols have certain antibacterial properties. Drinking tea on an empty stomach allows the tea liquid to directly contact oral mucosa and tongue coating, reducing bacterial growth. Meanwhile, the aroma of tea can mask oral odor, thereby freshening breath.
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4. Refreshing the Mind
   In an empty stomach state, low blood sugar levels can lead to drowsiness and difficulty concentrating. The caffeine in tea can be rapidly absorbed by the body, stimulating the central nervous system, improving mental alertness, and relieving morning fatigue.
5. Replenishing Body Fluids
   After a night's sleep, the body is mildly dehydrated. Drinking warm tea on an empty stomach can quickly replenish body fluids, relieve dry mouth, and maintain normal metabolic functions.
6. Assisting in Regulating Blood Lipids
   Some studies suggest that components such as tea polysaccharides and tea polyphenols are more directly absorbed on an empty stomach, helping to regulate fat metabolism in the blood to a certain extent. This may provide mild support in maintaining stable lipid levels, although it cannot replace drug treatment.

Drawbacks

1. Irritating the Gastric Mucosa
   On an empty stomach, the stomach lacks food to buffer the effects, so components like caffeine and theine in tea directly stimulate the gastric mucosa, causing mucosal contraction and increased gastric acid secretion. This may lead to discomfort such as stomach pain, bloating, and acid reflux, especially for individuals with gastritis or peptic ulcers.
2. Affecting Nutrient Absorption
   Tannic acid in tea can combine with undigested proteins and iron in the stomach to form precipitates that are difficult for the body to absorb. Long-term empty stomach tea drinking may lead to deficiencies in protein and iron, increasing the risk of iron-deficiency anemia.
3. Causing Blood Sugar Fluctuations
   Caffeine has a certain blood sugar-raising effect. On an empty stomach, the body is more sensitive to blood sugar changes, and some individuals may experience temporary blood sugar elevation after drinking tea. For those with weaker blood sugar regulation ability, caffeine-induced accelerated metabolism may subsequently cause a rapid drop in blood sugar, leading to symptoms such as dizziness and palpitations.
4. Increasing Cardiac Burden
   On an empty stomach, caffeine is rapidly absorbed, causing increased heart rate and slight elevation in blood pressure. For individuals with weak heart function or cardiovascular diseases, this may increase cardiac burden, causing symptoms such as palpitations and chest tightness.
5. Inducing Tea Intoxication
   In an empty stomach state, the concentration of caffeine and theine in the body rises rapidly, easily causing a "tea intoxication" reaction. Symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, trembling hands and feet, nausea, and these symptoms are more pronounced when consuming strong tea.

In daily life, it is recommended to avoid long-term consumption of strong tea on an empty stomach, especially for those with weak gastrointestinal function, unstable blood sugar, or cardiovascular diseases. It is better to drink tea half to one hour after meals. If you have the habit of drinking tea in the morning, it is advisable to eat a small amount of food beforehand and choose weak tea to reduce bodily irritation.