Black Tea and Iron Deficiency

Anemia remains a hidden epidemic in the Philippines. According to the most recent National Nutrition Survey, it affects millions, particularly pregnant women, lactating mothers, children, and the elderly. While symptoms like fatigue and dizziness may appear minor, anemia significantly disrupts work productivity, child development, and pregnancy outcomes—posing a long-term threat to both health and economic resilience.

Yet few realize that a common, culturally embedded habit—drinking black tea with meals—may be silently contributing to the problem. Black tea contains tannins and polyphenols that interfere with non-heme iron absorption, especially from plant-based meals. While tea is celebrated for its antioxidant properties, its timing, frequency, and pairing with iron-rich foods could reduce iron bioavailability and increase the risk of deficiency. In a country where tea is accessible, affordable, and widely consumed, this issue deserves urgent nutritional and behavioral research to guide safe, sustainable habits.

Who Can Use These Topics?

This research is ideal for students and professionals pursuing the following courses or strands:

College Programs:

• BS in Nutrition and Dietetics

• BS in Public Health

• BS in Nursing (especially with a focus on community or maternal health)

• BS in Medical Technology (for anemia diagnostics)

• BS in Food Technology

• BS in Biology (Human Physiology focus)

Senior High School Strands:

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

• Home Economics (TVL-HE)

• General Academic Strand (GAS)

Why This Topic Needs Research

Despite known biochemical interactions between tea and iron, major research gaps remain in real-world, population-level contexts—especially in low- and middle-income settings like the Philippines.

• Lack of real-world, diet-integrated trials: Gunec (2023) confirmed tea’s inhibitory effect on iron absorption but noted that many studies fail to account for full meal compositions, cultural food habits, or co-consumed enhancers like vitamin C that may mitigate risk.

• Need for intervention-based strategies: Lazrak et al. (2021) demonstrated reduced iron bioavailability in Moroccan women due to tea but called for culturally tailored strategies like improved meal timing, fortification, and co-consumption practices that could support national nutrition efforts.

• Limited observational data in young women: Lee (2023) found that coffee intake was linked to lower ferritin levels, especially among premenopausal women. However, sample sizes remain small, and studies often ignore variables like additives, brew strength, or concurrent supplement use.

• Gaps in understanding clinical thresholds: Perera et al. (2025) stressed that although tea's tannin content inhibits non-heme iron absorption, few clinical studies have investigated how this translates to long-term health outcomes in vulnerable populations.

• Insufficient age-specific or occupational data: Alboueishi et al. (2025) found a correlation between frequent tea intake and anemia among working adults, yet little is known about consumption frequency, meal context, and iron-rich food compensation among other groups like adolescents or seniors.

• Lack of individual susceptibility profiling: He and Chen (2024) presented a case where moderate tea intake triggered severe anemia, showing that even short-term use can be risky for sensitive individuals. The study calls for more research into biological vulnerability and personalized nutrition advice.

• Absence of food matrix interaction studies: Deka et al. (2025) pointed out that black tea contains not only inhibitors but trace iron itself. However, there's limited research on how these interact with whole diets, micronutrient density, and tea preparation methods in real-world Filipino settings.

Feasibility & Challenges by Target Group

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References

Alboueishi, A. A., Ebrahim, F. O., Dalyom, S., Breem, M., Haroush, W., Alshileeb, S., ... & Alboeshi Sr, A. M. (2025). An Examination of Iron-Deficiency Anemia and Its Associated Risk Factors Among Libyan Workers and Their Families. Cureus, 17(2).

Deka, H., Barman, T., & Sarmah, P. P. (2025). Copper, iron and zinc content in tea and their nutritional aspects on human health. In Tea in Health and Disease Prevention (pp. 211-223). Academic Press.

Gunec, C. B. (2023). A mini review on the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and iron absorption in the gut–iron deficiency anemia. Japan Journal of Clinical & Medical Research. SRC/JJCMR-156. DOI: doi. org/10.47363/JJCMR/2023 (3), 145, 2-3.

He, Y., & Chen, J. (2024). Severe iron-deficiency anemia after short-term moderate consumption of green tea in woman: A rare case report. Heliyon, 10(17).

Lazrak, M., El Kari, K., Stoffel, N. U., Elammari, L., Al-Jawaldeh, A., Loechl, C. U., ... & Aguenaou, H. (2021). Tea consumption reduces iron bioavailability from NaFeEDTA in nonanemic women and women with iron deficiency anemia: Stable iron isotope studies in Morocco. The Journal of nutrition, 151(9), 2714-2720.

Lee, J. (2023). Association between coffee and green tea consumption and Iron deficiency Anemia in Korea. Korean journal of family medicine, 44(2), 69.

Perera, L. S. D., Rathnayake, R. M. D. S., & Dahanayake, D. (2025). The Impact of the Consumption of Tea on Iron Absorption.

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