Matcha has been touted for its health benefits – but now experts are warning there can be too much of a good thing.
Similar to green tea, matcha comes from the Camellia sinensis plant and is said to have a variety of benefits, including protecting the liver, promoting heart health, and even helping with weight loss.
The green beverage has exploded in popularity over the past few years, with most coffee shops now offering a version of it – but are consumers overdosing on matcha?
According to experts, it can be possible – with regular matcha drinkers reporting low iron levels and even anemia after consuming the drink frequently.
Lynn Shazeen, a 28-year old registered nurse as well as a lifestyle, fashion and beauty influencer, recently shocked her followers when she shared her favorite pick-me-up – a matcha – resulted in severe anemia.
‘My iron levels basically dipped because of matcha,’ Shazeen explained in a video posted to TikTok, describing herself as ‘super anemic.’
Shazeen told the DailyMail.com although she had always been anemic, she started noticing an increase in fatigue and severe itching about three months ago, which was linked to her matcha habit.
‘The doctor confirmed that due to an increase in my match consumption [since] that was the only change in my day to day diet,’ she explained.
But she is not the only one, with other social media users sharing their declining iron levels on social media.
Matcha has been touted for its health benefits, but now experts are warning that there can be too much of a good thing
‘I’m iron deficiency anemic and I’ve been drinking matcha,’ TikTok user Nyla Denae shared in a video.
‘I was like why am I feeling so poor… my matcha is my enemy,’ she joked.
Like most things, matcha is best consumed in moderation.
‘If you drink too much matcha, it could lead to an iron deficiency anemia, which could put people who already have low iron levels or follow a plant-based diet at risk,’ Dr. Sophie Dix, Head of Medical Product and Content at ZipHealth, told the Daily Mail.
‘Similar to other green teas, matcha contains compounds known as tannins and catechins – those interfere with the absorption of a type of iron found in plant-based foods known as non-heme iron,’ she said.
Dr. Dix explained the more frequently the drink is consumed – particularly with or straight after meals – the more likely it is to reduce how much iron your body can take in.
‘However, for something like that to happen, you would likely need to drink several cups of strong matcha daily and consistently,’ she warned.
To combat this, she suggests eating and taking iron supplements at least an hour or two before you consume a matcha.
Similar to green tea, matcha comes from the Camellia sinensis plant and is said to have a variety of benefits, including protecting the liver, promoting heart health, and is even said to aide in weight loss .
‘Vitamin C can help your body absorb iron more efficiently,’ she added. ‘Moderation is key, one to two cups of matcha per day is unlikely to cause issues in someone with a well-balanced diet.’
Dietitian Jenna Warner told the Daily Mail it is important to remember overconsumption of most things can have ‘unfavorable impacts’ – and drinking matcha is no exception.
‘When it comes to caffeine my knee jerk reaction to this statement is that high intakes of any caffeinated beverage can cause appetite suppression,’ she explained.
Warner said this could mean people are replacing food that contains nutrients and perhaps iron with a caffeinated beverage, and decreasing total food consumption which could lead to anemia.
‘[If] you pair excessive caffeine intake (matcha) with poor dietary or restrictive diets and it’s no surprise some people are having nutritional deficiencies,’ she added.
‘We can correlate increased or excessive matcha and/or caffeine to low iron or other nutritional deficiencies. As always moderation is so important,’ she concluded.
Dietitian Gabrielle Palmeri recommended pairing iron-rich meals with vitamin C foods like oranges, strawberries, kiwi, bell peppers, or tomatoes can also help boost absorption.
‘There’s no need to be scared of matcha, but it helps to know how it interacts with iron,’ she said. ‘If you are concerned about your iron, ask your doctor for labs.’
