As summer arrives, various functional herbal teas, beverages, and juices have entered their peak sales season, with some people even drinking them as a substitute for water. In response, medical and nutrition experts remind us that while these functional beverages have certain functions and benefits, they are not suitable for everyone. Drinking the wrong one can lead to hidden health problems after enjoying the taste.
Herbal Teas: Not Suitable for the Elderly, Children, and Pregnant Women
During the summer, herbal tea beverages like Hejizheng and Wong Lo Kat are prominently displayed in supermarkets. Many consumers pick up a few bottles as they pass the shelves. On May 12th, Mr. Chang, a regular buyer of herbal tea at a supermarket on the North Ring Road, told our reporter: "I'm very prone to 'heatiness,' so I like to buy herbal tea as a drink, and it's quite effective."
It is understood that the main ingredients of herbal tea are water, white sugar, mesona, *Microcos paniculata* leaf, chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, *Prunella vulgaris*, and licorice. Therefore, herbal tea has effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, moistening the lungs to relieve dryness, and alleviating summer heat. However, herbal tea is not effective for all types of "heatiness." Liu Yongye, Chief Physician of the Internal Medicine Department at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, explained that some people have a constitution that leans towards "heat" or "dampness," and eating more fried food can easily lead to "heatiness." This type of "heatiness" is "excess fire," and drinking herbal tea can be effective in reducing it. But if the "heatiness" is caused by staying up late or poor rest, it is "deficiency fire," and drinking herbal tea will have no effect. In this case, methods to nourish yin should be used to reduce the "heatiness."
Herbal tea for reducing "heatiness" is also not suitable for everyone. People with a cold stomach, excess stomach acid, chronic diarrhea, colitis, or a weak spleen and stomach should drink less or no herbal tea. Those with a wind-cold cold who experience symptoms like aversion to cold and a runny nose should also avoid it, as it could worsen the condition. Women during their menstrual period may experience blood stagnation and menstrual cramps from drinking herbal tea. Pregnant women may have adverse effects on the fetus, and postpartum women may find it detrimental to the recovery of organ function and harmful to the spleen and stomach. Therefore, women during their menstrual period, pregnant women, and postpartum women should not drink herbal tea.
Additionally, the elderly and children have weaker spleen and stomach functions. The cooling ingredients in herbal tea can damage their spleen and stomach, so they are also not suitable for drinking herbal tea.
Sports Drinks: Not Suitable for "Office Workers"
Today, sports drinks are popular among trendy young people and "office workers." Sports drinks are mainly targeted at athletes and people who exercise regularly. They are formulated based on the physiological characteristics of exercise, rich in sugar and electrolytes, and can specifically replenish nutrients lost during exercise, maintain and improve athletic performance, and quickly eliminate post-exercise fatigue.
If an ordinary person exercises for less than an hour a day, there is no need to drink this type of beverage. The reason is that these drinks are rich in electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium. If there is no electrolyte deficiency due to exercise, the excess electrolytes need to be excreted by the kidneys. For people with abnormal kidney function, this can easily increase the burden on the kidneys and cause edema. At the same time, excessive sodium intake can also increase the burden on the heart and lead to high blood pressure. Therefore, office workers or people with low levels of exercise should not drink sports drinks, especially those with a history of high blood pressure, abnormal kidney function, and children under two years of age should avoid them.
It should be noted that for athletes or people with high-intensity workouts, they should not wait until they are thirsty to drink sports drinks. The correct practice is to replenish fluids 2 hours before exercise, just before starting, during exercise (every 15-20 minutes), and after exercise ends.
Juice Drinks: Do Not Use as a Substitute for Water
Walking into a supermarket, there are many brands and types of juice drinks, such as kiwi juice and apple juice. Rich in vitamins, carotene, dietary fiber, trace elements, and minerals, along with their sweet taste, they have naturally won the favor of many consumers. Some children even drink juice drinks as water, affecting their normal three meals a day.
Zhu Xiaohua, Deputy Chief Physician of the Child Health Department at Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, pointed out that moderate consumption of juice drinks is beneficial to health, but they should absolutely not replace the three daily meals or be used as drinking water. For children, long-term and large consumption of juice drinks can easily lead to hyponatremia and cerebral edema, and in severe cases, symptoms such as drowsiness and confusion may occur. At the same time, juice drinks have high sugar content, and long-term large consumption can lead to obesity in children and affect normal nutrient absorption. For children, the best drink is plain water.
Dr. Sun Liangge, Chief Physician of the Endocrinology Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, pointed out that adults should also not use juice drinks as a substitute for fruit and water, otherwise the high sugar content in the juice can easily increase blood viscosity, raising the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and it is also not conducive to blood sugar control. Diabetics and patients with ulcers should also not drink too much juice. It should also be noted that juice drinks are rich in vitamin C and fruit acid, which can cause premature decomposition and dissolution of drugs. Therefore, people taking medication should not use juice drinks to swallow their pills.