Bubble tea is not doubt the perfect treat on a scorching or extremely stressful day, but it must be said that having too much of it can be deadly too.
A woman in Taiwan had her kidneys in shambles no thanks to her habit of guzzling down cups of bubble tea on a regular basis in order to keep her work stress at bay.
Drank 2 cups everyday
According to ET Today, the 26-year-old woman consumed two cups of the sugary drink a day as a way to cope with work stress.
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On top of that, she often left her home early work and would only come back late at night as she was looking to meet performance targets.
For illustration purposes only. Photo via Canva
Throughout the course of six months, she began to notice that her face had became swollen but she dismissed it, thinking it was caused of chronic sleep deprivation.
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However, things took a scary turn when the woman felt as though her lungs were “drowning” and found herself gasping for air while working overtimes, leading to her colleagues to rush her to the emergency department.
70% of kidneys destroyed
When nephrologist Dr Hong Yong Xiang (transliteration) examined the woman’s blood test results, he found that 70% of her kidneys were damaged.
He explained to the woman’s mother that because her daughter’s kidneys had shut down, waste products had accumulated to dangerous levels in her blood, causing fluid to flood her lungs and cause breathlessness.
Photo via ET Today
Doctors then inserted a breathing tube and began emergency dialysis in order to save the woman’s life.
Dr Hong also recounted the moment when he broke the news to the woman and her mother that she was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure and would have to undergo dialysis for the rest of her life.
“Her face turned whiter than hospital sheets and she and her mother broke down in tears in the emergency department corridor.
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“She also asked me: ‘I just love drinking beverages and staying up late. I’m still so young. Why are my kidneys just gone like this?'”
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Further examinations later revealed that the woman showed signs of protein in her urine years earlier, a warning sign that her kidneys were already damaged but nothing was done.
Her condition was also exacerbated by her habit of staying up late and drinking too much bubble tea.
Deadly combos
Dr Hong added that overconsumption of sugary drinks is the top cause of kidney failure among young people.
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He also cited other factors that place one’s kidneys at high risk, namely lack of sleep, extreme high-protein diets, abusing painkillers and over-the-counter medications, and diets high in salt and heavily processed foods.
For illustration purposes only. Photo via Canva
He also warned the public to be mindful of their lifestyle habits, saying that kidney failure is often a “silent” illness as it shows no pain or obvious symptoms until 70% of it is destroyed.
“Your kidneys do not have a backup file. I strongly suggest the public to reduce on sugary drinks and drink plain water instead.”
https://weirdkaya.com/kidney-failure-bubble-tea-taiwan/