Iron-Free Green Tea - Do They Exist? (Thalasemia Trait Minor)

by Roz
(Brooklyn, NY)

I have a blood desease called Thalasemia Trait(minor) and I am not supposed to take any product that contains iron.

So, is there a green tea product out there which doesn't contain iron?

Thanks for your attention to this question.

Answer:

Roz, I am not aware of any green tea products that is iron-free, nor I think there will be one.

It really depend on your tolerance, with regard to the iron content, and other tea compounds such as caffeine etc.

This is because tea is an agricultural product, and tea plants grow and accumulate impurities from soil and water.

So as it is the case of fluoride (some people are concerned about green tea's fluoride content), the best bet is to consume high grade tea made from tea buds, which being the youngest and tenderest, accumulate the least of environmental impurities.

These tea buds also contain high level of caffeine (they should be offset by the calming theanine, but for caffeine sensitive individuals, I can't say for sure.)

So the straight answer to your question is a no.

I have only two further things to add that might be relevant:

First, according to a report published by Aiya Matcha, green tea matcha contains iron in the region of 0.17 milligrams per gram, or 0.01%.

(Note this is just an approximation, chemical composition varies greatly from tea to tea and season to season.)

I am not expert in Thalasemia Trait so I can't comment on how this will affect you.

Second, because green tea is antioxidant, it is naturally anti-iron i.e. the antioxidants bind to metal and can cause anemia for some people, although long-time tea drinkers may become immune to this effects. Further this discussion can be found at

Green Tea and Iron Absorption

I hope this helps.