Five Negative Health Effects From Drinking Too Much Iced Tea

On warm summer days, there’s nothing more refreshing than a glass of iced tea to quench your thirst and get that sweet fix. It’s a healthy beverage and it cools you down, but did you know too much of it is not good for the health?

Although drinking tea can bring benefits to health, sweet or iced tea can also bring risks. But how much iced tea is bad for you? There has been a reported case of a man who drank about a gallon of iced tea – 16 glasses of it every day – who then started to experience negative consequences to his health.

Drinking sixteen glasses is already way too much, especially when there’s sugar in it, as in the case of sweetened iced tea. Here are five health effects that you may experience when you drink a lot of sweetened or iced tea.

Diabetes

You might feel less guilty since you’ve managed to avoid sodas and substitute your drink for a much healthier one – tea. However, you tend to put loads of artificial sweetener in it – which is basically the same thing. You might want to start rethinking your sweetening habits and experts advise using natural sweeteners, like honey, instead.

Kidney Stones

Your kidneys are also among the most likely to be affected when drinking excessive amounts of iced tea. Last year, CBS News reported about a man who had kidney failure, the cause of which was traced to excessive drinking of iced tea.

Cardiovascular Disease

Don’t forget that tea (especially black types) contains caffeine and drinking lots of it would greatly affect your cardiovascular system.

“All black teas are caffeinated, which is not great if you have high blood pressure or a fast heart rate — it can make things worse,” Suzanne Steinbaum, DO, the director of Women’s Heart Health at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City told Everyday Health.

Obesity
Since you’ll be loading on sweeteners for your healthier alternative drink, you can still gain a lot of weight. Popular brands of the beverage usually have at least 250 calories for each serving and surprisingly, it contains higher amounts of sugar compared to most soda brands.

Stroke
Who knew that drinking iced tea can be dangerous that it can contribute to stroke? Sweetened tea tends to increase your sugar intake, which consequently leads to high levels of triglycerides. This will then increase your risk of experiencing stroke.

Yes, tea is a healthier beverage compared to sodas but if you wish to sweeten it, use sugar or sweeteners sparingly. More importantly, drink in moderation; a few times a week shouldn’t hurt.