Matcha, a finely ground green tea powder, has increasingly become a popular choice of drink because of its beneficial health properties.
A 2014 meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that antioxidants called catechins found in green tea help lower blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
However, a South Carolina, US, woman’s matcha obsession landed her in the hospital and caused her iron levels to dip dangerously low. According to a September 9 report shared by The Mirror, six months ago, 28-year-old Lynn Shazeen started drinking matcha at least once a week. Everything was alright till one day she was left with an IV drip in her arm and heart palpitations because of the matcha tea she drank so casually.
Matcha lands a woman in the hospital with heart palpitations
The incident wasn’t a random occurrence, according to Lynn, three months after starting matcha, she had unusual symptoms like ‘fatigue, feeling cold and occasional heart palpitations.’ Three months later, when she finally went to the hospital, her blood tests showed iron levels had nearly halved.
Soon, the doctors put her on a detox IV and prescribed iron supplements. “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,” she told The Mirror.
The reason
How did this happen? According to Lynn, she started drinking matcha in order to introduce anti-inflammatory elements into her diet. Reportedly, she has low iron levels and is anaemic, a condition in which the blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen. She had also been dealing with inflammation. “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,” she added.
The decision, however, cost her! After three months, she had symptoms like increased fatigue, feeling cold, and occasional heart palpitations. Over the next two weeks, it got progressively worse, and a visit to the hospital revealed a drastic drop in her iron levels.
“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,” she told The Mirror.
She added, “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.”