Danger in slimming tea

Star: IPOH: If you are drinking slimming tea, check whether it contains aristocholic acid on the label as it has been blamed for kidney failure.
Ipoh Hospital’s consultant nephrologist Dr Teo Sue Mei said the substance, which was found in most slimming teas, had been found to have caused kidney failure.
“The acid can cause the scarring of kidneys which can lead to kidney damage,” she told reporters after the launching of the state-level World Kidney Day at the Ipoh Hospital on Thursday.
State Health, Science and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Tan Chin Meng launched the event.
Also present was state deputy Health Department director Dr Ahmad Nordin Mohd Jais, who represented state Health Department director Datuk Dr Ahmad Razin Ahmad Mahir.
To a question, Dr Teo said people suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and have a family history of kidney failures had a higher risk of contracting the disease.
“To determine whether you are suffering from kidney failure, you just need to take the dip stick test to determine the presence of protein in your urine,” she said, adding that the presence of protein should not appear in healthy kidneys.
Earlier in his speech, Tan said the number of kidney patients in the state had been increasing at an alarming rate over the years.
“In 2005, there were a total of 12,974 kidney patients in the state compared with 2,922 in 1996,” he said, adding that 10% of the total number of kidney patients reported in the country were from Perak.