Many elderly people are addicted to tea, and the first thing they do after waking up is brew and drink tea. This habit of drinking tea on an empty stomach right after getting up is undesirable. Because tea leaves contain some caffeine, drinking tea on an empty stomach allows the tea's properties to directly enter the abdomen, akin to "inviting a wolf into the house." If the intestines absorb too much caffeine, it can cause temporary symptoms of adrenal cortical hyperactivity, such as heart palpitations and frequent urination. Simultaneously, it may later affect the absorption of vitamin B1. Therefore, since ancient times, there has been a saying in Chinese folk culture: "Do not drink hollow tea."

Simply put, drinking tea on an empty stomach dilutes gastric juice, reduces digestive function, and easily leads to gastritis. Additionally, the absorption rate is higher on an empty stomach, causing certain harmful components in tea to be absorbed into the bloodstream in large quantities, resulting in symptoms like dizziness, heart palpitations, weakness in limbs, and mental confusion—this is the so-called "tea drunkenness," which is harmful to health.

Some people also prefer to drink tea immediately after meals, which is also unscientific. Research shows that tea contains a large amount of tannic acid. Drinking tea right after a meal causes proteins and iron from food to easily coagulate with tannic acid. Due to declining gastrointestinal function in the elderly, it is difficult to digest and absorb these coagulated substances, inevitably reducing the body's absorption of proteins and iron. For example, drinking tea brewed from 15 grams of tea leaves after a meal can reduce iron absorption from food by at least 50%. Over time, this not only lowers nutritional levels, affecting various physiological functions of internal organs, but also increases the risk of iron deficiency anemia.

Therefore, it is not advisable to drink tea on an empty stomach, nor is it suitable to drink tea immediately after meals. It is best to wait at least half an hour after eating before drinking tea. Everyone must keep this in mind!