Iced Tea's Hidden Risk Of Painful Kidney Stones

Pitcher of Lipstone's anyone?

"...Iced tea helped to bring on an excruciating bout of kidney stones that led to surgery at Loyola University Hospital in Maywood, Ill.

'The pain was so bad that once it felt like I was delivering a child made out of razor blades,' said the 46-year-old Mulac. 'I really had no idea that iced tea could lead to that.'

Iced tea contains high concentrations of oxalate, one of the key chemicals that lead to the formation of kidney stones, a common disorder of the urinary tract that affects about 10 percent of the population in the United States.

'For many people, iced tea is potentially one of the worst things they can drink,' said Dr. John Milner, instructor, department of urology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Ill. 'For people who have a tendency to form kidney stones, it's definitely one of the worst things you can drink.'

Kidney stones are crystals that form in the kidneys or ureters, the small tubes that drain the urine from the kidney to the bladder. Men are four times more likely to develop kidney stones than women, and their risk rises dramatically once they reach their 40s."

Ouch.