Bittersweet warning on drinking too much milk tea

Sweet addiction

However, a recent research paper has shown that frequent consumption of the beverage might lead to addiction, which is associated with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

The "New Form of Addiction: An Emerging Hazardous Addiction Problem of Milk Tea Among Youths" report, was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders and written by researchers from Tsinghua University and the Central University of Finance and Economics.

The research was based on a study of 5,281 college students in Beijing in 2022. The study found that nearly 77 percent of the survey participants drank at least six to 11 cups of milk tea in 2021. Among them, 2.6 percent of students drank four to six cups of milk tea each week, while 20.6 percent drank two to three cups a week.

Milk tea addiction was measured by several parameters, such as frequent milk tea consumption, persistent craving, guilty feelings for drinking too much, and an inability to stop imbibing the beverage.

The study found that milk tea addiction was associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

A plausible explanation is that milk tea, being a sweet beverage, contains a significant amount of sugar. Other research has demonstrated that a high-fructose diet can elevate cortisol levels leading to dysregulation, the ability to control or regulate emotional responses, of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The axis is a communication system between three organs. It is responsible for helping manage stress and has profound effects on emotions and behaviors, according to the paper.

The results of the study have crucial implications for policymakers, as milk tea addiction may pose a severe problem among youth, the paper said.

It advised policymakers to consider enacting regulations for the milk tea industry. Measures could include regulating milk tea advertisements, introducing educational programs on the detrimental effects of addiction on mental health, and introducing food hygiene standards for the drink's ingredients.

Milk tea, which has gained worldwide popularity in recent years, is an umbrella term encompassing all beverages sold in milk tea shops, such as milk tea, fruit tea, floral tea, bubble tea, and others, the report said. This inclusive definition is based on the emerging trend of combining milk tea and other tea drinks in the Chinese market, it added.

According to data by market consultancy iiMedia Research, the market size of China's "new style" tea drinks reached 333.4 billion yuan ($46.4 billion) in 2023, and is expected to grow to 375 billion yuan in 2025.

By the end of August 2023, there were 515,000 new style tea shops in the country, up 36 percent from 2020, the consultancy said.