Kolkata, India (BBN)-Tea does have various health attributes but it isn't entirely the magic potion it is thought to be.
Drinking copious quantities of the beverage with the breakfast or immediately after a meal does more harm than good, reports The Times of India.
Doctors are beginning to correlate the high incidence of anaemia in eastern India with the population's tea drinking habit.
Analysis of pathology tests done at global diagnostic chain SRL over three years (2012-14) has revealed that a significant number of Indian urban men have abnormal haemoglobin levels usually associated with women.
The incidence of low haemoglobin level was highest in the east at 52.4 per cent, followed by 48.6 per cent in north, 39.3 per cent in west and 27 per cent in south.
Coffee is more popular beverage in west and south India.
"Studies show that tea limits the absorption of iron in the diet, also known as non-haem iron. This leads to reduced haemoglobin concentration. Hence, the practice of having tea with breakfast or after major meals like lunch or dinner is not a good idea. Tea is best had between meals," said Leena Chatterjee, director, Fortis SRL Labs & SRL Strategic Initiatives.
Preventive medicine specialist Debashish Basu agreed. "Tannins in tea bind with iron molecules and prevent their absorption. So, it is better to have tea without milk and with a few drops of lemon. It neutralizes the tannins to an extent. But a majority of tea-drinkers in the east prefer to have it with milk and don't care to refrain from drinking tea before or after meals," said Basu.
Apart from the correlation of tea and anaemia, the other major factor that causes high anaemic levels in the east is the high incidence of abnormal haemoglobin in the region.
A significant section of the population in the east has haemoglobin E or haemoglobinopathy that causes chronic anaemia, according to some studies.
But some senior doctors believe there are other reasons as well.
"More women suffer from anaemia than men due to menstrual blood loss and malnutrition. In our social structure, women tend to eat last and are often deprived of nutritious food. But with economic progress, things have changed. More women now eat better food, which has narrowed the gap between men and women in terms of the number of anaemia patients," said PK Nemani, senior consultant at CMRI Hospital and an executive committee member of West Bengal Medical Council.
A reason why eastern region has more suffering from anaemia could also be due to lack of iron in the diet, felt Nemani.
"Our region consumes more meat and less vegetables, which is not the case in other parts of the country. Also, the eastern region has always been lagging behind the other regions economically which gets reflected in the diet," Nemani said.
Of 30 lakh men screened in the study, 43.5 per cent samples returned low haemoglobin levels.
The elder population was found at higher risks than the young.
According to a study by World Health Organization, the prevalence of anaemia in all groups in India is higher than other developing countries.
"There is a need to make people aware of the causes, symptoms, treatment and importance of testing for anaemia. Most of the cases of anaemia are observed in infants and pregnant women. But this new analysis has shown that men are also equally at risk," said Chatterjee.
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