Tea is the most popular drink worldwide, second only to water, according to the U.S. Agriculture Research Service. Tea drinking has been recorded for more than 5,000 years, but it has only been in the last 30 years that researchers have discovered the health benefits associated with the beverage. However, the natural caffeine and tannins found in teas are linked with decreased absorption of iron from your diet. Lack of iron can lead to negative health consequences, such as anemia.
Benefits of Tea
Health benefits related to drinking tea are largely due to the flavonoid content of the beverage. These are plant-based antioxidants that help fight damage caused by free radicals in the body, according to Harvard Health Publications. Green tea is the best source of a group of flavonoids called catechins. These substances are more powerful than vitamins C and E in test tubes in stopping the damage of free radicals. Harvard Health Publications reports an association between drinking green tea and a reduced risk of developing several types of cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure.
Iron
Iron, the most abundant metal on the earth, is used by the body to produce hemoglobin, myoglobin and enzymes. Hemoglobin is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. The Office of Dietary Supplements states there are two different types of iron. Heme iron is found in meats and non-heme iron is found in plant sources. Heme iron is absorbed better than non-heme iron, but most iron absorbed from your diet is from non-heme sources.
Anemia
When your body does not have enough iron to make hemoglobin, you may develop iron deficiency anemia. You can experience fatigue, weakness, fast heart rate, shortness of breath with exercise or abdominal pain, states Drugs.com. Your doctor can do a blood test to determine if you have anemia and will look for a source of the problem. One factor in the development of anemia is poor absorption of iron from the diet.
Absorption
Your body absorbs approximately 10 to 15 percent of the iron you get from your diet. This percentage is affected by several factors. Levels of stored iron, type of dietary iron consumed and foods eaten at the same meal can all influence this absorption rate. Absorption of iron is negatively affected by tannins found in tea, especially non-heme sources of iron. This means that tea inhibits the absorption of the major iron source in your diet. The Cleveland Clinic also warns that caffeinated tea will inhibit the absorption of iron from your diet. Try separating supplements or foods high in iron from tea drinking by one to three hours to reduce this effect.
