What's The Sugary Price For The Bubbles In Your Tea

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​Pi-I Debby Lin, PhD

Bubble tea has gained popularity since its first invention in 1980 when a teashop owner experimented by adding black tapioca balls (“boba” or pearls) to milk tea. The trend of adding toppings in tea drinks has now expanded to a wide variety of drinks and topping options, such as jelly, white pearls, popping boba, aloe vera, etc.

Picture: Calorie labeling on bubble tea, available in teashops in Taiwan. A 750mL green tea with bubble and no sugar has approximately 110kcal. Photo taken by Grace CY Chang.  

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Bubble tea drinks are considered sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), as most are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS, mainly HFCS-55). HFCS is chemically similar to table sugar, and, despite some debate, health effects are probably the same. Regardless,  it’s clear that high intake of added sugar of any kind leads to health problems, such as weight gain, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and high triglyceride levels. The study team from Project Viva showed that intake of SSBs during pregnancy was associated with greater adiposity, increased risk of asthma, and cognitive outcomes in mid-childhood. US dietary guidelines (2015) advise people to limit intake of added sugar to less than 10% of daily total calories. For an average diet of 2000 calories per day, this equates to 200 kcal or 50 grams of sugar (12.5 teaspoons).
Analytical tests conducted by researchers from Pepperdine University found that a 16 oz milk tea with 1 serving (60gram) of tapioca contains 38 gram of sugar and 299 kcal of calorie, with most sugar in the form of fructose and glucose. “Yogurt” and smoothie/slush drinks made from pre-mixed sugary powder may contain even higher amounts of added sugar per serving. For example, a medium “yogurt grapefruit” contains more than 100 grams of added sugar, according to information published on a popular teashop’s website. Adding toppings to the drink increases the sugar content even more (10-25gram of sugar and 70-150 kcal per serving of topping).
As we enjoy this fun drink, it is important to be aware that one bubble tea drink can easily exceed the daily recommended intake level of added sugar. While calorie information may not be readily available for items such as these, they are often available upon request or online. Most tea shops also offer the option to customize sugar contents (unsweetened, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%). Cutting the sugar contents by half can reduce about 50 kcal and 20 grams of added sugar. This would be something worth considering as you decide how you want to customize your bubble drink.