Too much iced tea destroyed a man's kidneys, doctors say {al.com/AP}

[eppur_se_muova]

***
The odd medical case is described in a Thursday article in the New England Journal of Medicine, which finds a direct link between iced tea and the man's unfortunate medical condition.

"It was the only reasonable explanation," University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock's Dr. Umbar Ghaffar -- who co-authored the article -- said, the AP reported.

The article did not state whether or not he drank the tea with or without sweetener. It instead identified oxalate, a food chemical found in black tea, spinach, chocolate, nuts and other food products. It is usually not harmful, but can cause kidney issues in rare cases.

The Arkansas man's was such a case, as he was drinking 16 cups of iced black tea daily, he was taking in three to 10 times more oxalate than the average American, Ghaffar and her colleagues reported.
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more: http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/04/too_much_iced_tea_destroyed_a.html#incart_river

[Buzz Clik]

1. It wasn't the tea per se, it was the oxalate. The tea was simply the carrier.

[KMOD]

2. drinking an excessive amount of iced tea harmed

Terri Schiavo's health as well.

[tridim]

3. Weird. I worry a bit about oxalate in raw spinach/kale/chard...

Which I eat a lot these days.

Some people are par-cooking greens now before adding them to smoothies. I'm not there yet, but it's probably a good idea.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. You might find this info helpful ...

http://www.eatthatweed.com/oxalic-acid/

It makes it a little clearer that oxalate can easily be rendered pretty harmless.

[tridim]

6. Thanks for that.

I always have kefir and/or yogurt in my smoothies.

[Buzz Clik]

8. Awesome link. n/t

[Historic NY]

4. I drink a lots of ice tea....

now i mix a diet with an unsweetened one to cut back. Years ago we used to use the powdered ones mixed with tea concentrate...

[SheilaT]

7. Makes me happy I mostly drink water.

Well, there's red wine. And champagne. And beer.

But mostly water.