Originally starting out in the beer distributing business back in 1971, partners John Ferolito and Don Vultaggio switched to making their Arizona Tea products in 1990 after noting the resounding success of a rival iced tea company. Along with regular iced tea products, Arizona also manufactures a number of ready-to-drink green tea products. Arizona is known for adding unusual flavoring to their green teas, including various fruit juices and ginseng. Their product line includes several varieties of diet green teas. Before processing, tea leaves contain varying amounts of minerals and other nutrients, including phosphorus.
Arizona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng Ingredients
Arizona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng contains brewed green tea, filtered water, honey, citric acid, ascorbic acid, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and ginseng extract, along with other natural flavoring. One hundred milliliters of Arizona Diet Green tea contains no calories, fat, carbohydrates or protein. It does provide a minute amount of the essential nutrient sodium, 8 mg, which your body needs for your nerves and muscles to function properly and to regulate your blood pressure and fluid volume.
Phosphorus
Following calcium, phosphorus is the second most abundant mineral in your body. Although 85 percent of the phosphorus is contained in your teeth and bones, it is also present in every cell. Your body needs phosphorus for strong bones and teeth, tissue growth, breakdown of carbohydrates and fats into energy and DNA and protein synthesis. Phosphorus also aids the kidneys in removal of waste products. Deficiency is rare because phophorus is found in many foods, including nuts, dairy, chocolate, colas and peas. Having an elevated phosphorus level is of more concern, especially if you are diabetic or have kidney disease.
Green Tea
Second only to water, tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Green tea, oolong tea and black tea come from the same Camellia sinensis plant. However green tea isn't fermented or processed in the way oolong and black teas are, so more of the plant's natural nutrients remain intact. Green tea contains a higher concentration of antioxidant compounds called catechins. These compounds may be responsible for many of green tea's purported health benefits, including reducing the risk of certain cancers and heart disease, but additional clinical research is needed.
Green Tea and Phosphorus Considerations
Although it isn't listed as an ingredient on the product label, all tea, including green tea, contains a small amount of phosphorus. According to the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition," minerals, including phosphorus, account for roughly 5 percent of the dry weight of tea leaves. Although it may not sound like much, phosphorus can be a concern if you require regular dialysis treatments. The website DaVita states if you are a patient on dialysis, you need to limit the amount of phosphorus in your diet because it is not readily eliminated in your urine. Consult your doctor about drinking any diet green tea products if you have chronic kidney disease and are on dialysis.
References
- Arizona: History
- Arizona: Arizona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Phosphorus; Steven D. Ehrlich; June 2009
- "The Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Beneficial Effects of Green Tea - A Review; Carmen Cabrera et al.; April 2006
- DaVita; Potassium, Phosphorus and the Dialysis Diet; Helen Dorrough; 2011
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