The study was repeated in bedridden elderly not on feeding tubes, and green tea again was shown to improve their gut bacteria. These studies raise the possibility of using green tea in other settings where gut bacteria are disturbed, such as after taking antibiotics . Further studies are needed to clarify the role of green tea in this respect. High-tannin tea has been shown to reduce the need for blood removal from people with iron overload, or hemochromatosis , in an open study. The tea had to be taken with meals and without lemon or milk to be effective.
Tea is believed to help in hemochromatosis by preventing iron absorption.
However, other research suggests as much as ten cups per day is necessary to obtain noticeable benefits from green tea ingestion. Decaffeinated tea is recommended to reduce the side effects associated with caffeine , including anxiety and insomnia . Many of these standardized products are decaffeinated. Certain medications may interact with green tea. Refer to the drug interactions summary for a list of those medications.