Drinking tea incorrectly can harm your health! These 3 types of people should drink less

The habit of drinking tea

It seems to be engraved into the DNA of the Chinese people.

Pick ten people at random on the street

At least half of them like to drink tea

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But tea also has some scary rumors

For example, "drinking tea can cause anemia"

Maybe some people with anemia will start to doubt

Is my anemia caused by drinking tea?

Don't worry, if you drink tea normally, there is almost no risk of anemia.

Tea does contain a substance called tea polyphenols, which may affect the body's absorption of iron, and iron deficiency is one of the causes of anemia.

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But people drink tea not as if it were food. Usually, only a small bunch of tea is used to make tea. The tea polyphenols contained in such a small amount of tea are really pitifully small, and have little effect on the body's iron absorption. This loss is made up in the daily diet.

However, if you already suffer from iron deficiency anemia and need iron supplementation, drinking tea may indeed affect the absorption of iron supplements, thereby weakening the treatment effect.

Except for this situation, normal people will hardly develop anemia due to drinking tea.

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People with gastrointestinal diseases such as gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, or chronic atrophic gastritis

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The two most famous substances in tea that are most likely to affect the human body - caffeine and tannic acid - may promote gastric acid secretion and aggravate ulcers.

If you normally have a lot of stomach acid secretion and have symptoms such as acid reflux, try to drink less tea.

People with poor sleep quality

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For example, patients with insomnia or neurasthenia caused by mental factors or diseases such as hyperthyroidism.

This type of people are usually more sensitive to caffeine, and drinking tea will aggravate insomnia symptoms. For some people, even if they consume caffeine in the afternoon, it may affect their sleep at night.

People with arrhythmia

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While caffeine can refresh you, it can also cause your heart rate to increase. For patients with existing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, this can become a risk, increasing the likelihood of tachycardia and palpitations.

1. Increased iron requirements

Infants, adolescents, pregnant women and other groups are likely to need more iron due to growth and development, pregnancy consumption and other reasons. If iron is not supplemented enough, iron deficiency anemia may occur.

2. Inadequate iron absorption

It is common in gastrointestinal surgery (such as gastrectomy), gastrointestinal dysfunction (such as long-term diarrhea, chronic enteritis, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.) and other diseases, all of which may affect the body's iron absorption.

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3. Chronic bleeding

For example, menorrhagia caused by factors such as uterine fibroids and intrauterine devices is one of the most common causes of anemia in women.

Long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anticoagulants, glucocorticoids, or suffering from hemorrhoids can also cause chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which may lead to iron deficiency anemia.

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Other diseases such as chronic kidney disease, chronic vascular hemolysis, parasitic infection, etc. may cause anemia.

In addition to the above reasons, there are some relatively special situations that everyone should be aware of, such as anemia caused by genetic factors.

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Some scholars have found that some people are more prone to iron deficiency, which may be due to their genetic susceptibility. People with iron-related gene mutations may have abnormal iron metabolism parameters, resulting in high hepcidin in the body and reduced iron absorption.

Anemia in the elderly group needs more attention, as it is likely not caused by a single reason, but is often the result of multiple factors. When treating, it is also necessary to respond to different causes.

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You can still drink tea without worry

Just pay attention to the degree.

If you find yourself with anemia

Don’t blame it on tea.

I still need to go to the hospital for further screening to find out.

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

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References

[1] Expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency anemia (chlorosis) in traditional Chinese and Western medicine [J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine: 1-8 [2023-08-21]. http://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/11.2787.r.20230626.1259.002.html

[2] Wang Wei, Wang Xiaoqin. Etiological diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia[J]. Diagnostics Theory & Practice, 2021, 20(06): 529-532. DOI: 10.16150/j.1671-2870.2021.06.003.

[3] Ma Juemin. A case report of severe osteoporosis and moderate anemia caused by long-term and excessive tea drinking[J]. Inner Mongolia Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2009, 28(01):93. DOI:10.16040/j.cnki.cn15-1101.2009.01.061.

Content Production

Editor: Zhang Fuyao

Map: Eastern Zhou Dynasty