I was having dinner with friends last night and the waitress
was asking if we would like tea to go with our meal. One of my
friends highlighted that his wife read somewhere that it is not
good to drink tea with meal as it reduces the iron intake from
our meal. I found it quite interesting and when I woke up this
morning, I googled to see if I can find any information
regarding this.

It wasn't difficult to find information in the internet at all
nowadays – as long as you spend some time on it. The search
returned several results related and non-related. In all of the
related results, they had shown similar information – that tea
reduces the iron intake to a certain extent and it really
depends. I will come to that in a short while.

Before we go on, let's take a look at the mineral iron, with
the symbol Fe in the periodic table. From my previous knowledge
in school, I knew that iron is an essential part in hemoglobin
for oxygen transport around the body. According to the British
Nutrition Foundation, they stated, "Iron is also required for
energy metabolism and is necessary for neurological development
of developing embryos. Iron is also needed for the normal
function of the immune system."

Iron can be found in foods in two forms, namely haem and
non-haem iron. Haem iron is found mainly in meat, liver, offal
and meat products. According to a document by the UK Tea
Council, typically 20-30% of haem iron is absorbed from the diet
and the level of haem iron absorption is relatively unaffected
by other dietary factors.

According to the document, non-haem iron is found in plant
foods such as cereals, vegetables, pulses, dried fruit, etc and
compared to haem iron it is relatively poorly absorbed,
typically less than 10% and often under 5%. The absorption of
non-haem iron is much more influenced by an individual's iron
status and several factors in the diet that can either inhibit
or enhance its absorption.

Deficiency of iron in our body can ultimately result in anemia
while too much of it can be toxic. Moderation is the key.
According to the British Nutrition Foundation, iron deficiency
anemia can make people feel tired, irritable and less able to
concentrate. In children, it can affect behavior and
development. Iron deficiency anemia is probably the most common
nutritional deficiency in the world - it is estimated that at
least 500 million people are affected.

According to the different sources of information that I gotten
from Google, all of them stated that tea drinking mainly affects
the absorption of non-haem iron as haem iron is relatively
unaffected by tea. Most studies which were conducted to examine
the effect of tea drinking on absorption of iron concluded that
tea does have an inhibiting effect on iron absorption. However,
there are people who argued that these studies were carried out
in experimental conditions and may not reflect the role of tea
when consumed as part of a complex, real diet.

According to the UK Tea Council, their researches also found
conflicting results; some have found a higher risk of anemia
amongst tea drinkers compared to non tea drinkers, while others
have shown no such association, both in children and adults.
There is however a lot of other determining factors that can
affect the absorption of iron; like what kind of foods were
taken beside the tea, the iron status or level of the person in
the first place etc.

Practical advice for tea drinking in relation to iron status
(Tea and Iron Absorption, UK Tea Council)

•There is no evidence to suggest that tea drinking should be
restricted in healthy individuals who are not at risk of iron
deficiency and are consuming a well balanced, mixed diet.

•People who have a poor iron status should avoid drinking tea
with meals and up to at least one hour after the meal. Any
adverse effects that tea may have on iron absorption are then
likely to be minimized. This restriction should apply to all
people who are in the following at-risk age groups - children
less than 6 years of age, adolescent girls, women aged 18–49
years and women aged 75 years and over, as well as those who are
known to have poor iron status.

•Moderate tea drinking (3-4 cups) spread throughout other times
of the day is unlikely to have any adverse effect on iron
status. The inhibitory effect of tea on iron absorption maybe
partially overcomes by the simultaneous consumption of animal
tissues and Vitamin C.

Something else interesting which I found out is that Vitamin C
found in fruits, fruit juices and vegetables actually enhance
the absorption of iron. Thus some actually suggest adding lemon
to tea to reduce the effect of tea on absorption of iron.

In so speaking, you do not really have to refrain from drinking
tea with meal especially if you are having a balanced diet and
you are a healthy individual. Only when you are at high risk of
iron deficiency, then it would be better to avoid drinking tea
with meals. Wishing everyone great health!

About The Author: Boon Kiat Chua likes information on health,
weight loss, cancer, and anything interesting under the sun. He
compiled a blog where you can find a lot of health information
as well as information on general interesting topics:
http://wisdomnet. blogspot. com