Tea and Iron Absorption

Almost all of us, when we are alone and analyzing our lives, have thought at least once:

"Life was very difficult in ancient times. Now, technology has advanced, the times have changed, and accessing accurate information has become easier. A person living in ancient times was truly unfortunate. Nowadays, there’s no burden of carrying water from the stream; hot water flows abundantly from the tap. There are more important things to do."

After thinking this way and concluding that life is easy, we are only now realizing the truth that the invisible burdens are actually much heavier than a bucket of water. By invisible burdens, we mean living according to what must be done while avoiding the long list of things that shouldn’t be done, managing the job that determines our quality of life, striving to maintain balance in social relationships, ensuring the happiness of those around us, and being a person who enjoys life and brings joy to others.

In this fast-paced and hectic life, the small and pleasant moments we gift to ourselves become one of the power sources that enable us to continue this struggle. For a tea enthusiast, the significance of tea is much more than a necessity. Understanding the value of the tea in a cardboard cup held amidst a stressful, exhausting life is only possible by experiencing its absence.

After feeling chronically fatigued, you visited the doctor and learned that you are suffering from iron deficiency. On top of that, tea was now banned for you. Or, in another scenario, during a Sunday breakfast with your family, while sipping your tea with pleasure, you suddenly noticed an unpleasant article in the newspaper about "tea, anemia, iron deficiency" and were convinced by the serious, all-knowing expression of the professor’s photo that accompanied it, without even needing to read the article.

To save you from this unpleasant situation and prevent you from unnecessarily depriving yourself of tea, we conducted research and wanted to share some facts with you.

First, does tea affect iron absorption?

The answer is both yes and no.

Interesting, isn’t it? Iron deficiency, the most common type of anemia in the world, is observed in 35% of women, 20% of men, and up to 50% of pregnant women. There are two sources of iron: plant-based and animal-based. Nonheme (non-heme) and heme (heme). We call the iron obtained from meat heme, and the iron from purslane nonheme.

As you might guess, we mostly meet our iron needs from animal foods. This isn’t because plant-based foods lack sufficient iron, but because the nonheme form of iron is poorly utilized by the body. The myoglobin in animal muscle structure contains easily absorbable iron. The fact is that the absorption pathways of organic iron from animal sources and inorganic iron from plant sources in the body are quite different.

While tea has been observed to negatively affect the absorption of nonheme iron, there is no significant evidence that it affects heme iron from animal sources. In another study, tea was found to increase the absorption of zinc, manganese, and copper. Polyphenols in tea do not interfere with the iron absorption of someone eating fried eggs but affect the iron absorption of someone with a sensitive stomach eating potatoes and rice. Research emphasizes the importance of vegan individuals being careful with tea consumption.

However, according to recent studies, an individual who consumes sufficient animal food is not at risk of iron deficiency due to tea. There are many other factors causing iron deficiency before black tea. The main ones include:

• Poor nutrition
• Being in a growth phase
• Vegetarian diet
• Pregnancy

Furthermore, iron absorption is so sensitive that tea is not the only factor affecting it. Soy, soy milk proteins, coffee, bran, whole grains, some fatty nuts, and seeds also play a role.

As you can see, the situation is quite delicate. It’s not something you can solve by quitting tea and continuing with your old lifestyle. This was the result of research compiled from many reliable sources. For more detailed information, we recommend reading articles on the absorption of heme and nonheme iron on trusted health platforms online.

Rana

References:

• The New York Times
• American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
• Medical Park
• Antalya Körfez
• TÜBİTAK