“Don’t gulp it down instead of water just because you’re thirsty” ... The surprising drink doctors warn is “dangerous” [Health Talk]

[Financial News] A warning from experts says that habitually drinking large amounts of iced tea—a cool, sweet drink enjoyed by people of all ages—in place of water may raise the risk of kidney stones, which can cause extreme pain.
According to a recent report by the U.S. health publication Parade, urologists have stressed that people should check the ingredients in the beverages they regularly drink and review their hydration habits to help prevent kidney stones.
Kidney stones are a condition in which minerals, salts and other substances dissolved in urine clump into crystals, forming hard, stone-like objects inside the kidneys. If a stone moves into a ureter and blocks the flow of urine, it can cause extreme flank pain comparable to the pain of childbirth, as well as blood in the urine.
Dr. Shiv Patel, a U.S. urologist, identified insufficient fluid intake as the leading common cause of kidney stones. When the body does not get enough fluids, urine becomes concentrated, promoting the crystallization of minerals.
The problem is that some drinks consumed instead of water to quench thirst can actually encourage stones to form. One drink specialists particularly warn about is iced tea brewed from black tea.
Black tea contains high levels of a substance called oxalate. Oxalate combines with calcium in urine and is a key factor in the formation of calcium oxalate stones, which account for the majority of kidney stones. Dr. Patel explained, “Drinking too much black tea-based iced tea greatly increases the risk that oxalate will build up in the body and combine with calcium in the urine.” He added, “People should be mindful of the oxalate content of black tea itself, whether or not it contains sugar.”
Grapefruit juice was also named as a drink to avoid consuming in excess, with large-scale epidemiological studies reporting an association between it and the risk of developing kidney stones.
If it is difficult to give up iced tea, adding lemon may be an alternative. Citrate, which is abundant in lemons, combines with calcium in urine and helps prevent it from clumping with oxalate and developing into stones. However, adding lemon does not eliminate the oxalate consumed, so it is still essential to control how much iced tea is consumed.

When a kidney stone moves into a ureter, it can cause extreme symptoms that disrupt daily life, not just mild discomfort. A typical symptom is squeezing pain in the flank and back, known as renal colic. The pain begins suddenly, lasts for minutes or hours, then subsides and recurs; it may also radiate to the lower abdomen or groin.
Stones can also scrape the lining of the urinary tract, commonly causing hematuria (blood in the urine), which may be visible to the naked eye or detected under a microscope. Other symptoms include dysuria, a sharp pain when urinating; frequent urination; and a feeling that the bladder has not fully emptied. In severe cases, stones may cause nausea or vomiting. If a stone blocks the urinary tract and a urinary tract infection develops, a high fever and chills may follow, potentially leading to serious complications such as sepsis and requiring immediate emergency treatment.
Managing everyday habits is essential to prevent kidney stones and keep them from recurring.
Adding lemon to iced tea may help prevent stones, but the most basic and reliable preventive measure is to drink enough plain water—at least 2–2.5 liters a day—to maintain a urine output of at least 2 liters a day.
People should also avoid excessive amounts of salty foods (sodium), which increase calcium excretion in urine, and oxalate-rich foods such as spinach, nuts and chocolate. Excessive animal protein intake also promotes stone formation by increasing uric acid and calcium excretion and reducing citrate secretion, so maintaining a balanced diet is advisable.
Dr. Patel noted, “Drinking iced tea does not automatically mean you will develop stones; the risk varies depending on a person’s physiology, diet and overall fluid intake.” He urged people to remember that “the basic way to prevent stones is to maintain the body’s fluid balance by drinking plenty of plain water instead of processed beverages containing sugar or oxalate, especially in hot weather or after sweating heavily during exercise.”
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