London - A cuppa made with cheap teabags may save pennies at the checkout… but could be bad for your health.
Many supermarket value brands have been found to contain potentially harmful levels of fluoride – a mineral that can severely damage bones in large amounts, a study reveals.
And just four cups a day could be enough to generate worrying levels, warn researchers.
Lower quality teas are thought to be a problem because they are made from older leaves that have accumulated higher levels of fluoride from the soil than the rest of the plant. The problem could be made worse by drinking cheap tea on an empty stomach, such as first thing in the morning.
Scientists now want levels of the mineral to be displayed on boxes and packets alongside nutritional information. Researchers at Derby University measured the amount of fluoride in one litre of tea – the equivalent of four cups a day, the average drunk by Britons.
As no daily intake figure for fluoride has yet been set in the UK, they used the four milligramme level recommended in the US as their yardstick.
Of the budget brands tested, only teabags from Waitrose’s Essential range had less than 4mg per litre, with a reading of 3.6mg. The average for all cheap teabags was 6mg. Some brands of green tea had the next highest fluoride levels, followed by popular mid-price products such as PG Tips, Twinings and Typhoo – which together produced an average of 3.3mg.
Those who like to pay more for their brew will be pleased to know that “pure blends”, such as Assam and Darjeeling, had lower fluoride levels, as did Oolong tea.
Writing in the journal Food Research International, the scientists said fluoride is essential for healthy bones and teeth, but can stain and mottle teeth in high doses. It can also cause skeletal fluorosis – painful and debilitating calcification of the bones.
Researcher Laura Chan, who admits she drinks a “weak PG Tips”, said: “The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, is a fluoride accumulator, with mature leaves accumulating most of the fluoride.
“When tea is harvested, these older leaves may be used to produce lower quality, stronger teas such as economy teas, whereas the bud and newer top leaves are used in the manufacture of higher grade and speciality tea products.
“People may be drinking excessive volumes of tea in addition to other dietary sources of fluoride and may not realise these potential health implications.”
Fluoride is also found in wine, seafood and toothpaste.
Despite the findings, it could be difficult to convince Britons to cut down on their cuppas. They are second only to the Irish in tea consumption, getting through 60 billion cups a year – 55 billion of them made with teabags. - Daily Mail