Iced Tea Kidney Failure- Thirsty? This may appear to be shocking news to everyone who loves binging on their favorite drink, Iced Tea. A man from Arkansas was diagnosed with Kidney Failure and when doctors traced its root cause, it boils down to drinking a gallon of Iced Tea everyday.
Doctors found out that his kidneys were heavily blocked and inflamed due to oxalates. When the man was asked about his eating and drinking habits, they learned that he was fond of drinking 16 8-ounce Iced tea everyday.
The man's Iced Tea Kidney Failure is the most probable cause as drinking black iced tea in extreme amount could lead to inflamed kidneys or worse, kidney failure, according to NBC News.
"It was the only reasonable explanation," said Dr. Umbar Ghaffar of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
"With 16 cups of tea daily, the patient's daily consumption of oxalate was more than 1500mg-a level that is higher than the average American intake by a factor of approximately three to 10," the doctor said.
Before the man's Iced Tea Kidney Failure was ruled out, doctors have researched thoroughly on what factors could have led to his condition. Ghaffar said that the unidentified man was admitted to the hospital last May with reported symptoms of nausea, fatigue, weakness and body aches.
The man who was diagnosed with a condition due to excessive Iced Tea, Kidney Failure was put on dialysis and he will probably be undergoing it for the rest of his life, USA Today reported. His condition was diagnosed after examination of his urine where calcium oxalate crystals were detected.
Dr. Randy Luciano, a Yale School of Medicine kidney specialist was surprised with the rare case of the man. Luciano regarded the case as unusual even after he treated people with kidney failure due to excess calcium oxalate, the Telegraph cited.
The man's Iced Tea Kidney Failure case was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday. Ghaffar stated that by drinking 16 cups of iced black tea each day, he was consuming three to 10 times more oxalate than the average American.
Dr. Alejandra Mena-Gutierrez of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, who also reported the case, stated that drinking excessive iced tea is the most plausible cause for his condition.
100 ml of black iced tea contains 50 to 100 mg of oxalate. An average American consumes between 152 to 511 milligrams of oxalate each day, but the man identified with Iced Tea Kidney Failure was taking more than 40 to 50 mg a day as recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
