A man in Kansas has been diagnosed with kidney failure which doctors have attributed to his unusual habit of ingesting over a gallon of black tea every day. The man came to the hospital with symptoms of nausea, weakness, fatigue and body ache. Investigations revealed abnormally high levels of calcium oxalate crystals in his kidneys, to the point that he has since been on dialysis.
What's even worse, doctors have stated he might never have his kidneys back ever again and have to be on dialysis for the rest of his life. Dr. Umbar Ghaffar of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences along with two other doctors discussed about the unusual case in an article that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday.
The unidentified man confessed to drinking 250 ml of black iced tea 16 times a day. This led to 3 to 10 times more ingestion of the food chemical oxalate than the average American, Fox News reveals. The chemical oxalate can be found is several other food items such as spinach, rhubarb, nuts, as well as chocolate.
The development should come as a surprise to many, particularly those who swear by the health benefits of black tea. The popular beverage is reported to have several positive effects which include its effectiveness in preventing several forms of cancer, heart disorders and improving mental health. Black tea is also believed to act as a diuretic as it helps in increasing urine flow, reports WebMD.
However, what is not mentioned is how black tea is likely to act on the body when ingested in copious amounts.
As Dr. Randy Luciano, a kidney specialist with the Yale School of Medicine puts it; black tea does not possess any immediate health risk. Dr. Randy also termed the case of the Arkansas man as very unusual and it's probably got to do with the man's habit of drinking "a lot of tea."
I wouldn't tell people to stop drinking tea," said Dr. Randy.
WebMD claims its best to limit daily intake of black tea to 5 cups every day. It's an even lower 3 cups for pregnant and lactating mothers for the sake of safety for both the mother and child.