Drinking matcha has undoubtedly become a popular trend of late, but one woman has told Newsweek how her matcha obsession put her in hospital.
Lynn Shazeen, 28, was introduced to matcha in May 2025, and the unmistakable green drink quickly became one of her favorite treats. Not only did she enjoy the earthy sweetness of matcha, but she also loved that it is high in antioxidants, can promote heart health, and contains less caffeine than coffee.
Shazeen, from Maryland, said that matcha soon became her weekly ritual. Indeed, at most, she found herself drinking matcha lattes twice a week as she enjoyed it so much.
Monitoring her health with online trackers and apps is nothing new for Shazeen, as she has been through what she describes as a "holistic, wellness glow-up journey." She said she always pays close attention to how she is feeling, so, in July, she knew something was wrong when she felt constantly exhausted.
"I had increased fatigue, itchiness, and I was frequently cold," Shazeen said. "I've always been one to track my health stats in my health planner, so the minute I had an increase in those symptoms, I knew it was time for a follow-up."
Shazeen went for an appointment with her health practitioner to get blood work taken, and the results were shocking.
Due to her love of matcha, Shazeen had become severely anemic. This was already a condition she coped with, but matcha exacerbated it further.
"Despite rounds of iron infusions previously, I was prescribed iron pills with vitamin C to this date," Shazeen continued.
Anemia is a blood disorder that causes low levels of healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Fatigue is the most-noticeable symptom of anemia, according to The Cleveland Clinic, while others include chest pain, dizziness, frequent infections, headaches, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations.
Anemia is considered common, with an estimated 3 million people in the U.S living with it. In some instances, it can be inherited, or certain types of anemia, such as iron-deficiency anemia, are acquired through lifestyle.
Dr. Parth Bhavsar, a board-certified family medicine physician, told Newsweek that matcha can act as "an iron grabber," which prevents iron from entering the bloodstream. The impact can be particularly significant when matcha is consumed in high quantities or at mealtimes.
"Matcha is a powdered green tea that contains polyphenols, which basically binds to iron in the intestines and blocks the absorption," Bhavsar said.
"More matcha consumed closer to mealtime results in less iron being absorbed. The easy way to fix this is to enjoy matcha between meals. You can also pair iron-rich plant foods with vitamin C, which can increase absorption and counteract the negative effects of matcha to some extent," Bhavsar continued.
After her iron levels dropped so significantly in July, Shazeen said she hasn't had any matcha since and now prefers to drink tea instead. She is keen to give her body "time to heal" and she is already feeling so much better.
"I had knowledge of the effects, hence my discipline to drink once or twice a week, but it turns out even that was a lot. I can't imagine those who drink it every second of the day," Shazeen said.
"My energy levels are picking back up and the itchiness subsided immensely," she added.
Following the experience, Shazeen shared a video on TikTok (@lynnshazeen) showing the impact of her "matcha obsession era." The clip, which shows her getting blood drawn at the hospital, has gone viral with over 6.2 million views and more than 309,000 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
Shazeen certainly wasn't expecting her ordeal to generate so much attention online, but she said she is glad that she can help educate and raise awareness. She doesn't want to turn people off matcha altogether but just remind them that it is not entirely risk-free.
Shazeen continued: "Though matcha exacerbated my anemia, I would like to remind my anemic girlies that they can still enjoy matcha, as long as they do so with caution."
Thousands of social-media users have taken to the comments to share their thoughts, leading to over 4,000 comments on the viral TikTok post so far.
One comment reads: "Waittt I just started liking matcha."
Another TikTok user wrote: "Too much of anything isn't good."
A third person replied: "Once again, not being a clean girl aesthetic has saved my life."