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Iced tea reminds us of hot summer days and vacations. It's sweet, refreshing, and — considering how it's made with tea — how bad can it be? Unfortunately, research has found that there are a few good reasons you should never drink iced tea. Here are 8 to keep in mind.
1) Drinking the occasional glass of iced tea is just fine. But when one man in Arkansas arrived at a hospital complaining of weakness, body fatigue, and pain, doctors found he was suffering from kidney failure. They also learned he drank one gallon of iced tea each day — and all of that excess oxalic acid contributed to a breakdown in his kidneys.
2) Sugar overload — Many people put so much sugar in their iced tea, they might as well be drinking soda. This becomes problematic when you assume the iced tea you're consuming is a healthier alternative — all of that sugar spikes your insulin levels and can force the body to store fat instead of releasing it for energy.
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8 Reasons You Should Never Drink Iced Tea
3) The sugar in iced tea, whether it's natural or artificial, can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.
4) Your risk of having a stroke is also increased when you consume sugary teas. The sugar content can lead to higher levels of triglycerides, which can cause stroke.
5) Most iced teas are made with black tea. Black tea contains high amounts of caffeine, and that caffeine isn't ideal if you have high blood pressure or a family history of cardiovascular disease.
Why You Shouldn't Drink Iced Tea
6) All of that caffeine in your iced tea has another common side effect we almost never associate with the cold drink: consume enough of it and it can keep you up for hours at night. Too much caffeine can also leave you feeling shaky and uneasy.
7) If you're trying to lose weight, read the label on your iced tea drink very carefully. Most have upward of 250 calories per serving. If you're drinking this beverage on a regular basis, those calories add up and can lead to weight gain.
8) You may be tempted to replace iced tea with water throughout the day — but its caffeine content actually saps your body of hydration instead of restoring it. Play it safe by limiting your iced tea consumption to special occasions like holidays, parties, or that hot day on the beach when nothing else will do the trick.
