Malabsorption of iron from food is one of the important causes of iron deficiency anemia, of which drinking strong tea is a common factor leading to iron malabsorption. Therefore, abstaining from drinking tea, especially abstaining from drinking strong tea is a must for patients with iron deficiency anemia. Here to introduce you to the relationship between tea and iron deficiency anemia: 1, drinking tea can affect the absorption of iron in food, causing and aggravating iron deficiency anemia. Tea contains more tannic acid, tannic acid can be combined with iron, and tannic acid combined with iron is difficult to absorb, resulting in a significant reduction in iron absorption from the intestine, causing and aggravating iron deficiency anemia. Even for people with no gastrointestinal diseases and normal diet, if they drink strong tea for a long time, iron absorption will be reduced, leading to iron deficiency anemia. 2. Iron deficiency anemia due to heterophagia leads to a lot of drinking strong tea. When there is iron deficiency in the body, on the one hand, the synthesis of hemoglobin is reduced, leading to iron deficiency anemia, on the other hand, the activity of iron-containing enzymes is reduced, and various metabolic abnormalities occur, often with taste changes, patients like to eat dirt, cinder, ice, lettuce and other strange things, called “omnivorous fetish (pica). Some patients with xenophagia are more fond of drinking tea, and even chew tea leaves after drinking strong tea. To sum up, drinking tea can affect the absorption of iron in food, leading to iron deficiency and even iron deficiency anemia; while iron deficiency anemia appears as heterophagia will make some patients prefer to drink strong tea, which will affect the absorption of iron even more and aggravate iron deficiency, thus forming a vicious circle and affecting each other, making it difficult to cure iron deficiency anemia. Therefore, patients with iron deficiency anemia, and people with potential iron deficiency should quit drinking tea in time, and should not drink tea when taking oral iron therapy.