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Article: Herbal Teas May Block Iron Absorption.
- Article from:
- Environmental Nutrition
- Article date:
- January 1, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Belvoir Media Group, LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It is well known that drinking black tea--and to a lesser extent coffee, red wine and cocoa--reduces iron absorption from foods. Compounds called polyphenols in these beverages are to blame, because they bind with iron in the intestines before it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Research now suggests that herbal teas have the same effect.
Investigators in Switzerland and the U.S. collaborated to test the effects of 10 different beverages on iron absorption from iron-fortified bread in 77 healthy volunteers. As expected, black tea significantly reduced iron absorption from the bread (by 79% to 94%), even at very dilute concentrations and even when milk was ...