Caffeine + Iron
Can you take Caffeine and Iron together?
Separate them — take iron at least an hour before your coffee or tea.
What to do. Take iron on waking with water, and have coffee or tea at least 1 hour later.
Mechanism
Coffee and tea reduce iron absorption
A cup of coffee with a meal cut non-heme iron absorption by roughly 40% or more in single-meal studies, mainly because of polyphenols (chlorogenic acid) rather than caffeine itself. Tea has a similar effect.
Evidence: Human data — Human pharmacokinetic, cohort or case-series data.
Timing
A day with Caffeine and Iron
- 07:00
On waking
no food - 08:00
Breakfast
with meal
Taking more than these two?
Add the rest of your stack and your medications for a complete check.
Buying guide
What to look for on the label
Caffeine
- Coffee or tea counts
- If using pills, pair with L-theanine
Iron
- Iron bisglycinate (gentler on the stomach)
- Check the label for elemental iron, not the salt weight
Related
Other interactions
Caffeine + L-Theanine
L-theanine smooths caffeine's edge
Caffeine + Green Tea Extract
Hidden caffeine adds up
Caffeine + Creatine
Caffeine may blunt creatine's benefits — or not
Calcium + Iron
Calcium reduces iron absorption from the same meal
Iron + Zinc
Zinc and iron compete when taken together without food
Curcumin + Iron
Curcumin binds iron