More Tea? No Thank You, Say The Kidneys
Kellye Copas | Aug 28, 2012 | Comments 8 |
Southerners won’t take too kindly to a report about tea’s side effects, because they love their iced tea. (I know; I’m one of those Southerners.) However, a Loyola University Medical Center urologist is warning that this refreshing drink can contribute to painful kidney stones.
The culprit in this deceptively genteel beverage is a high concentration of oxalate, one of the key chemicals that lead to the formation of kidney stones. Kidney stones are a common urinary tract disorder that affects about 10 percent of the United States population.
“For people who have a tendency to form the most common type of kidney stones, iced tea is one of the worst things to drink,” says Dr. John Milner, assistant professor, Department of Urology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
Not drinking enough fluids is the most common cause of kidney stones. Warm summer temperatures and the potential for dehydration increase that risk.
“People are told that in the summertime they should drink more fluids,” Milner says. “A lot of people choose to drink more iced tea, because it is low in calories and tastes better than water. However, in terms of kidney stones, they might be doing themselves a disservice.”
Filed Under: Alternative Medicine • Easy Health Options News • Nutrition
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Thanks for the information on Kidney stones and iced tea.
I have also heard that the Tea plant picks up more fluoride from the soil than other plants.
I like my ice tea also. Ice Tea without any sugar or sugar substitute.
I would like to know if drinking green tea will also cause kidney stones since I drink it all day long.
You have to remember that is says tea Could Contribute, it didn’t say it causes them! Just read my post below to get some more information on kidney stones and PH levels in the body and adding something as simple as baking soda to your drinks to help your body’s PH remain above the acidic level to avoid things like these. The main thing that is causing the kidney stones is an overly acidic body that is getting dehydrated. If they had dehydrated people with acidic bodies drinking soda in this study, they probably would have had more people getting kidney stones because they would’ve been making their bodies more acidic while getting dehydrated even more! This study didn’t check the people’s acidicness before starting and probably didn’t check it when they were done either. Kidney stones need a certain environment to even exist! They need an acidic and dehydrated environment and without the proper environment would not exist. Even if you believe you may have them or are getting them, then baking soda added a few times a day can make them disolve over time just like some Liver and Kidney cleanser can from the proper makers. It’s cheaper just using the baking soda regularly.
I drink ice tea with lemon & sugar once in a while, mostly in the summer.
Is it the tea? Commercial or organic? I often wonder if the research is accurate and picks out harmful substances used by manufacturers to process their product. Black Tea? Green Tea? Specificity is important.
PS-I’m not challenging the truth of this info but the communication is not specific enough for one who actually knows how to research.
Kidney stones are a collection of acid and wouldn’t happen if the body was alkaline to begin with. Anyone can also add something as simple as sodium bicarbonate to their diet. Sodium bicarbonate is Baking Soda and actually can take some bitterness out of tea. Baking soda will dissolve kidney stones. I’ve been adding BS to my green tea for the better taste but I know it can help alkalize a body just like it can a pool or aquarium. My body’s PH is usually between 7 & 7.8 and the 1/2 tsp. Of BS will just about make kidney stones impossible to worry about. This study also just said tea COULD CONTRIBUTE, but that is only going to happen in the proper environment! Without the proper environment, then it can’t contribute! You need an acidic body that is dehydrated. That means everyone needs to keep their PH at or above 7.0 and preferably around 7.3 to 7.8 to keep this from happening.
does this apply to decaffeniated tea as well?
You only mention ICED tea. Does that mean it is better if it is hot? I thought it was the caffeine and tannin that were the problems with tea, though many people claim that the antioxidents in tea outweigh the bad. What do you think. Also does that include green tea?