AIIMS gastroenterologist shares '10 worst tea habits wrecking liver': 100% avoid drinking it super hot on empty stomach

Dr Sethi highlights 10 tea-related mistakes that can harm your liver and gut health – from drinking piping hot tea daily to late-night green tea consumption.

Want a healthier, stronger liver? Mindful tea consumption is essential to supporting liver and gut health. For starters, you need to stop drinking tea on an empty stomach. Drinking piping hot tea is also not good for you. Want to know why?

Consuming extremely hot tea can potentially increase your risk of esophageal cancer. Here's what you need to know. (Freepik)

In an August 8 Instagram post, Dr Saurabh Sethi, a gastroenterologist trained at AIIMS, Harvard, and Stanford Universities, shared some tea-related mistakes to avoid, and tea on an empty stomach was one of them.

Tips for healthy tea consumption

Dr Sethi spoke about '10 tea habits that might secretly be harming your gut and liver' and titled his post, '10 worst tea habits wrecking your gut and liver'. According to the gastroenterologist, you should not only drink tea in moderation, but also be mindful of caffeine content and timing.

Choosing teas with minimal added sugars and artificial sweeteners is a given, but Dr Sethi also highlighted that drinking super-hot tea daily can increase your risk of esophageal cancer, a cancer of the food pipe that connects the throat to the stomach.

‘10 worst tea habits’

Dr Sethi highlighted these 10 tea-related mistakes that could be harming your liver and gut health, and said:

1. Tea on an empty stomach irritates the lining and worsens reflux.

2. Overloading with sugar causes fatty liver risk.

3. Detox teas are usually just laxatives that can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

4. Iced sweet teas often have more sugar than soda.

5. Green tea extract supplements can lead to rare but real liver toxicity.

6. Drinking super-hot tea daily can raise esophageal cancer risk (Proven in studies).

7. Late-night black or green tea's caffeine disrupts sleep, gut rest and cortisol.

8. Artificial sweeteners in tea can cause microbiome disruption.

9. Powdered instant teas are ultra-processed and have hidden fillers.

10. Boba or bubble tea overload is sugar and starch bomb that can increase fatty liver risk.

Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.