The tapioca pearls also pose other risks beyond contamination. Their starchy composition means that consuming large quantities can slow stomach emptying \u2013 a condition called gastroparesis \u2013 or, in some cases, lead to complete blockages<\/a>.<\/p>\n Both can cause nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain<\/a>, and symptoms can be particularly severe in people who already have slow-moving digestion<\/a>. Even guar gum \u2014 a thickener often added to bubble tea and harmless in small amounts \u2013 can lead to constipation if you drink it often.<\/p>\n The drink\u2019s composition also affects kidney health. In 2023, Taiwanese doctors removed over 300 kidney stones<\/a> from a 20-year-old woman who\u2019d been drinking bubble tea instead of water. Certain components, including oxalate and elevated phosphate levels<\/a>, can contribute to stone formation. However, this extreme case probably reflects exceptionally high consumption.<\/p>\n For children, the risks are more immediate. The pearls can be a choking hazard \u2013 a risk that is well documented<\/a> by paediatricians. Adults are not immune to this risk. According to media reports in Singapore, a 19-year-old woman died<\/a> after inhaling three pearls when sucking harder on a partially blocked straw, while another woman narrowly avoided the same fate<\/a> thanks to fast-acting bystanders.<\/p>\n High consumption of bubble tea may contribute to constipation. The sugar problem<\/p>\n The sugar content raises longer-term health concerns. Most bubble teas contain 20\u201350g of sugar, comparable to or exceeding a can of Coca-Cola (35g). Research in Taiwan found that by age nine, children who regularly consumed bubble tea were 1.7 times more likely<\/a> to have cavities in their permanent teeth.<\/p>\n In California, the drink is considered a contributing factor to the youth obesity epidemic<\/a>, yet many young adults remain unaware of these risks<\/a>. The high sugar and fat content increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, obesity and metabolic disease<\/a>, while prolonged consumption may contribute to fatty liver disease<\/a> \u2013 outcomes associated with any high-sugar product that spikes blood glucose and promotes fat storage in the liver.<\/p>\n Perhaps most surprisingly, emerging research suggests potential mental health implications. Studies of Chinese children who frequently consume bubble tea show an association with increased rates<\/a> of anxiety and depression. Similar patterns appear in adults: research on Chinese nurses found that regular bubble tea consumption was associated with anxiety, depression, fatigue, job burnout and reduced wellbeing<\/a>, even after controlling for other factors. The same study linked lower consumption to reduced thoughts of suicide, though establishing causation remains complex.<\/p>\n Strange scans<\/p>\n There\u2019s even a curious medical phenomenon associated with consuming bubble tea: tapioca pearls appearing on scans of patients admitted for unrelated emergencies.<\/p>\n Doctors treating people after car accidents<\/a> or with appendicitis<\/a> have found dozens of pearls visible in stomachs and digestive tracts. These can occasionally cause diagnostic confusion, as they appear denser than the surrounding tissues and have stone-like properties similar to those seen with kidney- or gallstones.<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t mean bubble tea should be banned, but it does suggest we treat it as an occasional indulgence instead of a daily habit. And if you do indulge, consider skipping a straw. Drinking directly from the cup gives you better control, and allows your mouth\u2019s sensory receptors to properly prepare for what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They\u2019ve become as ubiquitous on British high streets as coffee shops \u2013 bubble tea outlets offering their Instagram-worthy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[64,63,137,532],"class_list":{"0":"post-236133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/file-20251017-56-jo6bo1.jpg\")
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