Too Much Iced Tea Bad For You?

[OhioTom76]

Earlier last year, there were some articles popping up about a guy who went into kidney failure and had to go on dialysis. The doctors were confused as to what caused this, and eventually discovered that he had been drinking about a gallon of iced tea per day, which they are speculating is what caused his kidneys to shut down.

Of course, this freaked me out, because a few years ago I cut almost all soda's out of my diet (especially diet sodas with Aspartame), because I was having a number of health issues, including seizures - which Aspartame can apparently trigger. Instead I switched to brewing my own iced tea at home, which I drink throughout the day while I'm getting work done. I would say I drink roughly a gallon or so a day myself too.

This article goes into the subject in a bit more detail, but thankfully offers a more comforting evaluation of this all - particularly, that many people in the southern US drink a lot of iced tea as well, and they're not all having kidney failure. So perhaps this one incident was a rarity and not the norm:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/he...iced-tea-danger-how-much-is-too-much?page=all

 

[winterybella]

Interesting read. I honestly just have ice tea on the odd occasion so this would not scare me even if it does get my attention. I could understand why this subject would interest you. I still think if we listen to what is put out there we might just end up not eating or drinking anything.

 

[Caribbean girl]

What is the difference between drinking iced tea and drinking hot or warm tea? I never drink iced tea, but I do drink tea about 3 or 4 times a week, one cup per day. How about iced coffee? Is that bad for you too or only the tea? I do drink iced coffee but on rare occasions. When it comes to choosing between tea and coffee, I would choose tea, but never iced.

 

[sidevalve]

I still think if we listen to what is put out there we might just end up not eating or drinking anything.

+ about several million. If the men in white coats can't find a reason they'll invent one. The dangers of not drinking enough in the warmer areas of the world [some people have all the luck !] are probably greater than drinking any one drink [unless you're into cheap moonshine]. If you're not having any problems and you're drinking it because you want a drink not as some time filling exercise then I wouldn't worry. You could always drink a little iced water occasionally if it bothers you.
PS - over here in the VERY rainy and now cold UK tea is hot brown and strong - although that's probably something to do with the climate.

 

[cupcakechef]

I remember reading about this story in the news and thinking surely there had to be something else playing into it. I drink a lot of coffee and tea, and I can't say that I've ever experienced any ill effects (apart from maybe not being able to get to sleep because of the caffeine!!) so I can't imagine exactly what the interplay was here with the iced tea and the gentleman in question.

 

[classic33]

As someone who drinks more than a gallon of warm tea, whatever the weather, per day. If there's any link with tea drinking, I've yet to have any pointed out to me.

 

[L_B]

This is a very interesting read. I am not a big tea drink, ice or hot, so it wouldn't be a concern for me. I can see, however, why you would be concerned with drinking over a gallon a day. I pretty much just drink water for the most part of the day. I have a cup or two of coffee in the morning and that's it for me. It, also, sounds like they were looking for a reason and since they couldn't find any other reason, they blamed the ice tea but who really knows. It is always something. You would know my now if you were having any effects from the ice tea so I wouldn't worry to much about it.

 

[Morning Glory]

Earlier last year, there were some articles popping up about a guy who went into kidney failure and had to go on dialysis. The doctors were confused as to what caused this, and eventually discovered that he had been drinking about a gallon of iced tea per day, which they are speculating is what caused his kidneys to shut down.

Of course, this freaked me out, because a few years ago I cut almost all soda's out of my diet (especially diet sodas with Aspartame), because I was having a number of health issues, including seizures - which Aspartame can apparently trigger. Instead I switched to brewing my own iced tea at home, which I drink throughout the day while I'm getting work done. I would say I drink roughly a gallon or so a day myself too.

This article goes into the subject in a bit more detail, but thankfully offers a more comforting evaluation of this all - particularly, that many people in the southern US drink a lot of iced tea as well, and they're not all having kidney failure. So perhaps this one incident was a rarity and not the norm:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/he...iced-tea-danger-how-much-is-too-much?page=all

I think it could depend on what sort of iced tea. The article assumes black tea, I think. But you can make iced tea from any kinds of tea, including herbal tea. However, I have to say that a gallon of liquid of any sort per day seems one hell of a lot! That's 8 pints (unless U.S. gallons are smaller). I'm sure I don't drink even half that amount of liquid per day.

 

[Morning Glory]

As someone who drinks more than a gallon of warm tea, whatever the weather, per day. If there's any link with tea drinking, I've yet to have any pointed out to me.

Do you really drink that much tea per day? Eight pints... if the average mug of tea is about half a pint that means 16 mugs per day. I suppose its possible.... . I drink about three small mugs of tea per day. Then there is the beer and wine.... . Hey, maybe I do drink a gallon of liquid after all!

 

[classic33]

Do you really drink that much tea per day? Eight pints... if the average mug of tea is about half a pint that means 16 mugs per day. I suppose its possible.... . I drink about three small mugs of tea per day. Then there is the beer and wine.... . Hey, maybe I do drink a gallon of liquid after all!

Use a pint pot.
There'll be three drunk before two in the morning, most mornings.

 

[classic33]

This is a very interesting read. I am not a big tea drink, ice or hot, so it wouldn't be a concern for me. I can see, however, why you would be concerned with drinking over a gallon a day. I pretty much just drink water for the most part of the day. I have a cup or two of coffee in the morning and that's it for me. It, also, sounds like they were looking for a reason and since they couldn't find any other reason, they blamed the ice tea but who really knows. It is always something. You would know my now if you were having any effects from the ice tea so I wouldn't worry to much about it.

Too much water maybe?
"Water is a key chemical of the body, which is why it needs to remain within a healthy range in order to balance the body. The human body loses water every day through breathing, sweating, urinating, and having a bowel movement, according to the Mayo Clinic. In order to replenish the body with enough water without overwhelming the cells, the Institute of Medicine determined the ideal amount is approximately 16 8-ounce cups (3.7 liters) for men and 11 8-ounce cups (2.7 liters) for women.

For athletes or anyone about to engage in a physical activity that will make you sweat, drink 1.5 to 2.5 extra cups of water to compensate for the fluid loss. Because sodium is lost through sweat perspiration, drinking a sports drink that contains sodium will help replace and balance out the increased water intake while reducing the chances of developing hyponatremia."*

http://www.medicaldaily.com/drinkin...elines-healthy-water-consumption-warns-340604
* Hyponatremia is a condition that occurs when the level of sodium in your blood is abnormally low. Sodium is an electrolyte, and it helps regulate the amount of water that's in and around your cells.

 

[Corzhens]

I'm not a tea drinker, whether iced or hot although sometimes I order iced tea when I don't feel like drinking soda. My grandparents were coffee drinkers and they used to tell us that tea makes the intestinal lining thin that would make you susceptible to abdominal problems. From what I remember, several people have told me aboutg that downside of tea. I don't know if it is true or not since I am not much affected because as I said I am not a tea drinker.

 

[briannagodess]

I thought that this guy who drank so much iced tea has the ready to drink powder form or those sugary ones in packets. It never really crossed my mind that he might be drinking the regular tea because I always associate iced tea with those teas in packets. And I think many Asians as well drink tea but those in tea bags and brew it without any sugar or add-ons. So that might be healthier than the iced tea variants we see in groceries. Of course, everything should be in moderation because too much of anything can be bad.