Guide
Green Tea Extract and Liver Damage: The Warning Signs to Know
Green tea extract liver damage is uncommon but documented, mostly with concentrated pills rather than brewed tea. Each SodaSlim capsule lists 130 mg of green tea extract with about 58.5 mg of EGCG. Studies tie liver enzyme rises to 800 mg a day of extract. Dark urine, yellow skin or eyes and belly pain mean stop and call a doctor.
Written by the SodaSlim label deskUpdated
The risk01
Can green tea extract damage your liver?
Yes, in rare cases. NCCIH says liver injury from green tea is uncommon but has been reported, mainly with green tea extract pills (NCCIH, Green tea). Drinking green tea as a drink is not linked to safety concerns in adults.
That split matters for SodaSlim. The capsule is not a cup of tea. It holds 130 mg of a concentrated extract, standardized to 98% polyphenols, 75% catechins and 45% EGCG. That works out to about 58.5 mg of EGCG, the catechin most tied to the liver reports. The capsule is also a capsule, not a drink, so there is no tea to compare it with.
Memorial Sloan Kettering says the same: liver toxicity has been reported mainly with extracts high in EGCG (MSK, Green tea (About Herbs)). The NIH's weight-loss page lists liver damage among the side effects of green tea extract (NIH ODS, Weight loss supplements (consumers)). Mayo Clinic notes that liver damage has rarely been linked to supplements in general (Mayo Clinic, Dietary supplements for weight loss).
The numbers02
How much green tea extract is too much?
No one has set a safe dose. EFSA found that 800 mg a day of EGCG from supplements may be linked to early signs of liver damage, saw no injury below 800 mg, and still could not set a safe level (IFST, EFSA green tea catechins safety assessment).
MSK reports that liver enzymes rose at 800 mg a day of green tea extract and at 843 to 1,600 mg of EGCG (MSK, Green tea (About Herbs)). A review of 34 trials found liver events in 4. They were mostly mild enzyme rises and none was serious, though events appeared at 500, 800, 1,200 and 1,600 mg a day (Isomura 2016, Liver safety of green tea extracts (RCT review)). The authors call serious events rare but the evidence not conclusive.
Now the label arithmetic. SodaSlim's 130 mg of extract is 16.2% of 800 mg. Its 58.5 mg of EGCG is 7.3% of the 800 mg EFSA flags. Those are reference amounts, not a promise of safety. Liver injury from green tea is described as idiosyncratic, meaning it can strike at doses where most people are fine.
| Source | What it found |
|---|---|
| EFSA via IFST | 800 mg a day of EGCG from supplements may be linked to early liver damage; no safe dose set (IFST, EFSA green tea catechins safety assessment) |
| MSK | Enzymes rose at 800 mg a day of extract (MSK, Green tea (About Herbs)) |
| 34-trial review | 4 trials with liver events, mostly mild, none serious (Isomura 2016, Liver safety of green tea extracts (RCT review)) |
| ODS | At least 50 liver damage case reports since 2006 (NIH ODS, Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (health professionals)) |
Who is at risk03
Who is more likely to have green tea liver injury?
Researchers do not fully know, but genes seem to matter. NCCIH says 5 to 15 percent of Americans carry a gene variant that appears to raise the risk of liver injury from green tea (NCCIH, Green tea).
The clearest data come from a study of 1,414 US patients with drug-induced liver injury. Of those, 40 (3%) were blamed on green tea. Most had jaundice, 3 needed a liver transplant, and in 3 the injury returned when the person took it again (NIDDK repository, HLA-B*35:01 and green tea liver injury). The gene variant HLA-B*35:01 turned up in 72% of the green tea cases and 11% of the comparison group. The authors conclude the injury is immune mediated.
You cannot see that gene on a label, so the practical rule is simpler. USP advice, passed on by MSK, is not to use green tea extract with a liver problem (MSK, Green tea (About Herbs)). Garcinia, also on the SodaSlim label, has its own liver reports. NCCIH describes numerous cases, several severe, though apparently uncommon (NCCIH, Garcinia cambogia). The ODS counts at least 10 liver cases with garcinia products, including one death and two transplants, though most products held other ingredients (NIH ODS, Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (health professionals)).
- Liver disease, or past liver trouble from a medicine or supplement: ask your doctor before any green tea extract.
- Regular medicines that the liver processes: ask your pharmacist. See supplements and medicines.
- Under 18, pregnant or nursing: the SodaSlim label says not for use.
SodaSlim: 30 capsules, 30-day bottle1 capsule a day · 2, 3 or 6 bottles · price and guarantee terms at checkout
See packsWarning signs04
What are the warning signs of liver injury?
Stop the supplement and get care if you notice abdominal pain, dark urine or yellow skin or eyes. That is the USP advice MSK passes on for green tea products (MSK, Green tea (About Herbs)). Yellow skin or eyes is called jaundice.
The same list fits garcinia. Add unusual tiredness and severe stomach pain, which need a doctor the same day. Do not wait for the symptoms to settle, and do not test whether they return. In the study of 1,414 patients, 83% of green tea cases had jaundice and injury came back on re-exposure in three (NIDDK repository, HLA-B*35:01 and green tea liver injury).
- Chest pain, fainting, a racing heartbeat that will not settleCall 911. Caffeine overdose and seizures are emergencies; Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222.
- Yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, severe stomach painStop and see a doctor the same day. These are liver warning signs listed for green tea extract.
- A seizure or severe confusionCall 911. Seizures are reported with rapid intake of about 1,200 mg of caffeine.
- Weight loss promised no matter what you eatOne of the FTC's red flags: loss without diet or exercise, permanent loss, or blocking fat absorption.
- Jitters, poor sleep or anxiety that keep goingCut back caffeine from every source and talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Signs from (Cleveland Clinic, Caffeine overdose) (MSK, Green tea (About Herbs)) (FTC, Seven red flags for bogus weight-loss claims). This list is not complete, and a supplement is never a reason to wait.
Keep taking prescribed medicine and keep your follow-up visits. If a symptom shows up, stop the supplement and call your clinician. Tell them the product, the amount and the date you started.
To report a bad reaction, tell your provider, the maker, and the FDA at 800-FDA-1088 or its Safety Reporting Portal (NIH ODS, Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know) (FDA, Questions and answers on dietary supplements). For SodaSlim orders, call +1 (302) 200-3480.
Your decision05
Is SodaSlim a safe choice for your liver?
We cannot say. No study tested SodaSlim, and no source sets a safe dose for green tea extract. What we can show is the label: 130 mg of extract and 58.5 mg of EGCG per capsule, well under the 800 mg figures, plus garcinia.
The label does not name the maker or a test lab, and no lab report is published, so you cannot check the extract's purity yourself. Both facts are on the what is not printed page. The label says to consult a physician first if you take a medicine or have a condition. A liver blood test is a question for that visit.
Read the full list of cautions on side effects and the arithmetic for each line on the green tea extract page. The FDA has not evaluated the statements on the label, and supplements are not approved before sale (FDA, Questions and answers on dietary supplements).
FAQ06
SodaSlim questions people ask
Is green tea extract bad for your liver?
Not for everyone, but it can be. NCCIH reports liver injury is uncommon yet documented, mainly with extract pills rather than brewed tea (NCCIH, Green tea). If you have a liver problem, USP advice is not to use it (MSK, Green tea (About Herbs)).
What does NCCIH say about green tea and liver injury?
NCCIH says liver injury is uncommon but has been reported, mainly with green tea extract pills. It adds that 5 to 15 percent of Americans carry a gene variant that appears to raise the risk (NCCIH, Green tea).
How much green tea extract is safe?
No safe dose has been set. EFSA flagged 800 mg a day of EGCG from supplements as possibly linked to early liver damage (IFST, EFSA green tea catechins safety assessment). SodaSlim lists 130 mg of extract, about 58.5 mg of EGCG, per capsule.
Is green tea extract in a capsule worse than tea?
Reports point at extracts, not tea. NCCIH finds the drink is not linked to safety concerns in adults, while liver injury has come mainly from extract pills (NCCIH, Green tea). A capsule concentrates the catechins.
What are signs the liver is hurt by a supplement?
Abdominal pain, dark urine and yellow skin or eyes. Stop the supplement and seek care (MSK, Green tea (About Herbs)). Unusual tiredness and severe stomach pain also need a doctor the same day.
Does SodaSlim have green tea extract?
Yes. Each capsule lists 130 mg of green tea extract (98% polyphenols, 75% catechins, 45% EGCG, under 3% caffeine). It sits beside caffeine, garcinia, green coffee and raspberry ketone, and it is a capsule, not a drink.
Sources (14)
- Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024
- Caffeine OverdoseCleveland Clinic, 2024
- Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss: Fact Sheet for Health ProfessionalsNIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2026
- Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss: Fact Sheet for ConsumersNIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2021
- Dietary supplements for weight lossMayo Clinic, 2024
- Green TeaNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2025
- Garcinia CambogiaNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2025
- Green TeaMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2026
- Liver-related safety assessment of green tea extracts in humans: a systematic review of randomized controlled trialsIsomura T, Suzuki S, Origasa H, et al., European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016
- HLA-B*35:01 and Green Tea-Induced Liver InjuryNIDDK Central Repository record of a Hepatology paper (DILIN network), 2021
- EFSA assesses safety of green tea catechinsInstitute of Food Science and Technology (summary of EFSA opinion), 2018
- FTC Stops Bogus Ads for "Bio Trim" and Other Weight-loss ProductsFederal Trade Commission, 2005
- Questions and Answers on Dietary SupplementsU.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026
- Dietary Supplements: What You Need to KnowNIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2023
Who wrote this07
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label, the seller’s materials and linked NIH, FDA, FTC, Mayo Clinic and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is the information site of Thesodaslim, a USA authorized SodaSlim retailer. It is not the manufacturer or the distributor named on the label. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
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