Can Matcha Mess With Your Iron Levels? Here’s What to Know

With its charming green hue and earthy flavor, matcha tea has become a star of both coffee shop menus and social media posts. But online, some creators are sounding the alarm that matcha drinkers could be putting themselves at risk of anemia.

Matcha—a type of powdered green tea—has been a staple of Japanese cuisine for centuries. But the drink has seen a major uptick in popularity in the West in recent years; the U.S. is now one of the top importers of matcha globally, with sales reaching more than $10 billion over the past 25 years.

But now there’s a rumor circulating on TikTok that drinking matcha tea or lattes could lower iron levels—even leading to iron-deficiency anemia.

“Anemic and anxious, ignoring that matcha has more caffeine than coffee and blocks iron absorption,” creator Yumi wrote in a February video viewed 775,000 times.

In a video with 2.8 million views, TikToker Kacey Ondimu said she switched from matcha to moringa tea after discovering the former was “causing [her] chronic iron deficiency.”

Even credentialed professionals on TikTok like Kunal Sood, MD, claim that “drinking matcha right after an iron-rich meal may lower your iron absorption.”

So is your favorite green beverage putting you at risk of anemia? Here’s what experts had to say about the link between matcha and iron levels.

Matcha is a finely ground powder made from dried, shade-grown green tea leaves. Unlike loose-leaf teas, matcha’s powdered form makes for quick, easy mixing—no steeping required.

Though it’s most popular as a tea or latte, you can find matcha in all sorts of recipes and pre-made foods such as ice cream, cheesecake, pancakes, and cookies.

From a nutritional standpoint, matcha is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory plant compounds, and has a “unique combo of caffeine and L-theanine,” which provides a “calm-yet-focused energy,” said Sapna Peruvemba, MS, RDN, registered dietitian and nutrition sciences doctoral student based in California.

Essentially, “matcha delivers a gentle boost without the jitters or crash you might get from coffee,” she told Health.

There are about 70 to 80 milligrams of caffeine in one teaspoon of matcha powder, which is the typical amount used for one cup of tea, Peruvemba said. One cup of coffee has about 90 milligrams of caffeine.

The concern about matcha and iron has to do with one of the compounds found in the powder: tannins.

Tannins are one of the many types of antioxidant compounds present in matcha and are being studied for their potential role in the prevention of diseases such as cancer.

However, tannins also restrict the body’s ability to absorb iron, raising the risk of iron-deficiency anemia. This condition can cause symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, headaches, shortness of breath, and more.

Matcha isn’t the only dietary source of tannins—they’re also found in chocolate, some leafy green vegetables, coffee, other teas, and nuts. But tannins are especially concentrated in matcha powder. An older study found that the concentration of one type of tannin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), was 137 times higher in matcha than in standard green tea, for example.

That means there’s something to TikTokers’ theory about matcha and iron issues, explained Kirbie Daily, MS, RD, assistant director of Olympic Nutrition at the University of Memphis (and matcha enthusiast).

“Matcha itself does not inherently cause iron-deficiency anemia,” she told Health. “But it may have an impact on your body’s ability to efficiently absorb iron if it is consumed too close to a meal.”

Consuming matcha with (or immediately after) a very iron-rich meal makes the iron less bioavailable, or harder for the body to absorb, in the gastrointestinal tract, she explained.

That means, if consumed in large quantities, green tea could lead to low iron levels over time.

However, Peruvemba said matcha’s effects on iron levels are likely minimal for most healthy people. Regular green tea consumption is rarely linked to elevated rates of iron-deficiency anemia.

But Peruvemba cautioned that, if you’re already at a higher risk for iron-deficiency anemia, you may want to exercise a bit more caution. That includes anyone who’s pregnant and breastfeeding, people with heavy periods, those recovering from surgery, vegetarians and vegans, and people with gastrointestinal conditions such as celiac disease or inflammatory bowel diseases.

According to Daily, safely consuming matcha mostly comes down to timing.

“Drinking matcha with or immediately after meals will have a stronger inhibitory effect on iron absorption than drinking it between meals,” she said. “I recommend giving yourself at least one to two hours in between your meals or iron supplementation, and having your matcha.”

Of course, the amount—and type—of matcha you consume matters, too.

“Matcha ice cream, for example, is very low in actual matcha compared to drinking a matcha tea,” Megan Byrd, RD, creator of the blog Coffee Copycat, told Health. “The more matcha consumed daily, the higher the assumed risk.”

For that reason, Byrd recommends no more than one cup of matcha per day for anyone concerned about their iron levels.

Remember, too, that matcha is just one piece of the dietary puzzle for iron absorption. Rather than zeroing in on one single drink, focus on your diet as a whole.

“It also helps to look at the bigger picture,” Peruvemba said. “Are you eating enough iron-rich foods? Are you pairing plant-based … [iron] sources with vitamin C to boost absorption?”

Eating foods such as red meat, fish, lentils, oats, quinoa, and nuts can help you get more iron in your diet. And pairing these foods with others rich in vitamin C—such as broccoli, mango, bell peppers, or strawberries—can make absorption even better.