Lynn has now quit her matcha habit and sticks to other types of tea
A woman was left on an IV drip in hospital with heart palpitations because of matcha tea. Lynn Shazeen, 28, began drinking matcha six months ago, having it at least once a week.
After three months, she started noticing unusual symptoms – fatigue, feeling cold and occasional heart palpitations. When she finally went to the hospital, blood tests showed her iron levels had nearly halved.
Doctors put her on a detox IV and prescribed iron supplements to restore her levels. Lynn, a nurse, said: “It was the only change I had made to my diet and daily routine. Myself and my doctor worked through every possibility but it became clear that the matcha was the cause.”
Lynn is anemic, a condition where your blood doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen, so she’s had low iron before. She started drinking matcha on a regular basis six months ago as a way to introduce more anti-inflammatory elements into her diet.
Lynn said: “I had been dealing with some inflammation so my doctor had suggested that I adjust my diet. Matcha, and green tea in general, is known for its anti-inflammatory properties so I decided to start drinking one once a week or so.”
Three months into regularly drinking matcha, Lynn started to notice symptoms like increased fatigue, feeling cold and occasional heart palpitations. Over the next two weeks, the symptoms got progressively worse, so Lynn went to the hospital to have her blood work done, which is when she discovered the drop in her iron levels.
Research supported by the National Institutes of Health has found that green tea (including matcha) can interfere with the body’s absorption of iron from food. Tea contains natural compounds called catechins, which make it harder to take in iron – a key concern for people already at risk of low iron.
Lynn said: “I noticed I kept feeling a lot colder and more tired than usual but I had no idea what it was until I got the tests done. As soon as I saw that my iron levels had dropped from 23 to 13, I knew immediately that it was the matcha that had caused it.”
Realizing something as simple as a weekly matcha could have triggered her symptoms was a shock. She said: “It was a bit worrying, but as a health professional, I stayed calm. Since getting the IV, I’ve stopped drinking matcha and now only drink regular tea.
“I also take iron pills and vitamin C tablets to bring my levels back up.”