Drinking too much coffee or tea every day can lead to an increased risk of iron-deficiency anemia, a physician said, urging the public to be cautious and ensure they ingest sufficient amounts of iron daily.
Shutien Clinic General Medicine Division director Chou Ming-wen (周明文) cited the case of a 16-year-old girl, whose parents said she was often exhausted and dizzy, and who would fall asleep easily at any time of the day, even in class.
Chou, who treated the teen, said she was not on a diet, did not have a cold or any other obvious illness and ate meals prepared by her parents every day, making it difficult to determine the cause of her ailments.
However, he said that the girl drank fresh milk tea with nearly every meal, and an examination found that levels of ferritin — a protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled fashion — in her blood was only 9.5 micrograms per liter, compared with the healthy range for a woman of about 20 of 291 micrograms per liter, indicating that she had a severe iron deficiency.
Tannin in tea and coffee and calcium in milk can affect iron absorption, so the girl’s habit of accompanying meals with fresh milk tea had significantly reduced the amount of iron her body absorbed, leaving her with an iron deficiency and nearly anemic, he said.
“It is better to drink tea or coffee about one to two hours after meals to avoid affecting iron absorption,” Chou said.
More than 80 percent of iron in food, especially vegetables, is non-heme, which is more difficult for the human body to absorb and can easily be affected by other substances, leaving vegetarians at a higher risk of iron deficiency, Chou said.
Heme iron, which is easier for the body to absorb, is mainly found in fish and clams, he added.
People diagnosed with an iron deficiency should readjust their daily diets and only take iron supplements as directed by a doctor, as excessive intake of iron can cause complications, Chou said.
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