Abstract

Tea plant takes up a large quantity of aluminium (Al) and fluoride (F) from acidic soils. It has been known that fluorosis can be developed for people who consume a large quantity of tea made from brick tea, a low quality tea consisting mainly of old tea leaves in China. In addition, it has been claimed that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is linked with the Al content in the human brain. Therefore, the high Al content in tea, especially brick tea is also a concern. This article reviews the basis background on tea including classification, growth conditions, types of tea leaves and their production, and processing of tea. Special emphasis is made on the transfer of Al and F from soil to tea plant and then to tea liquor. Health implications of drinking a large quantity of tea liquor especially those made from brick tea are discussed. Recommendations are suggested to reduce the uptake of these two elements by tea plant, and lower their contents in tea products.

• Related Studies :

  • Fluoride and aluminium concentrations of tea plants and tea products from Sichuan Province, PR China.

    Some Tibetans in Sichuan Province in southwestern China have been suffering from fluorosis, due to drinking and eating tea with high fluoride (F) and aluminium (Al) contents. Tea plants, soils of tea plantations and tea products from Yaan, Gaoxian and Yibin Cities in Sichuan Province were investigated to evaluate the

  • Fluoride and aluminum in teas and tea-based beverages.

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate fluoride and aluminum concentration in herbal, black, ready-to-drink, and imported teas available in Brazil considering the risks fluoride and aluminum pose to oral and general health, respectively. METHODS: One-hundred and seventy-seven samples of herbal and black tea, 11 types of imported tea and 21 samples of ready-to-drink tea

  • Comparison of total ionic strength adjustment buffers III and IV in the measurement of fluoride concentration of teas.

    BACKGROUND: Tea is the second most consumed drink in the UK and a primary source of hydration; it is an important source of dietary fluoride (F) for consumers and also abundant in aluminium (Al). Varying ranges of F concentrations in teas have been reported worldwide which may be, in part,

  • Fluoride Sources, Toxicity and Fluorosis Management Techniques - A Brief Review.

    Highlights Overexposure to fluoride via drinking water causes several health effects including fluorosis Endemic fluorosis is still persisted in several countries even with advancement in research Most of fluorosis management techniques suggested in the past have come with their own drawbacks Defluoridation techniques based on aluminium materials pose serious

  • Fluorine and Fluorosis [June 1944].

    Excerpt The first account of mottled enamel in human beings was given in 1902 by Eager of the United States Public Health Service who noticed its frequency among Italian emigrants from Naples. Black and McKay (1916) found it occurring in various parts of the U.S.A. and described it more fully in

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride content in tea and its relationship with tea quality.

    J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Jul 14;52(14):4472-6. Fluoride content in tea and its relationship with tea quality. Lu Y, Guo WF, Yang XQ. Department of Tea Science, Zhejiang University, 268 Kaixuan Road, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China. Abstract: The tea plant is known as a fluorine accumulator. Fluoride (F) content in fresh leaves collected

  • Fluoride Content of Tea

    Tea, particularly tea drinks made with lower quality older leaves, contain high levels of fluoride. Because of these high levels, research has found that individuals who drink large amounts of tea can develop skeletal fluorosis -- a painful bone disease caused by excessive fluoride intake. Since skeletal fluorosis is often misdiagnosed by

  • Tea Intake Is a Risk Factor for Skeletal Fluorosis

    A number of recent studies have found that heavy tea drinkers can develop skeletal fluorosis - a bone disease caused by excessive intake of fluoride.

  • Estimated "Threshold" Doses for Skeletal Fluorosis

    For over 40 years health authorities stated that in order to develop crippling skeletal fluorosis, one would need to ingest between 20 and 80 mg of fluoride per day for at least 10 or 20 years. This belief, however, which played an instrumental role in shaping current fluoride policies, is now acknowledged by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and other US health authorities to be incorrect.

  • Skeletal Fluorosis in the U.S.

    Although there has been a notable absence of systematic studies on skeletal fluorosis in the U.S., the available evidence indicates that the consumption of artificially fluoridated water is likely to cause skeletal fluorosis and other forms of bone disease in people with kidney disease and other vulnerable populations.