Why a Singapore hospital is warning that bubble milk tea is bad for your health
High sugar levels and the use of non-dairy creamer with hydrogenated palm oil link the drink to heart disease and stroke, Singapore’s Mount Alvernia Hospital warns
Sweet-toothed bubble tea lovers, look away now: the sugary drink has grown so popular in Singapore that a hospital in the island city state is urging consumers to modify their orders to make them healthier.
A survey of seven different bubble teas found the unhealthiest option by far was brown sugar milk tea with pearls which had 18.5 teaspoons of sugar
Mount Alvernia Hospital – a private, not-for-profit tertiary care medical institution – published an article on its website on this month comparing the sugar and calorie levels of various types of bubble tea and their toppings.
It later posted an infographic of the article on Facebook following “overwhelming requests” from visitors.
In the article, the hospital warned Singaporeans against the sugar content of bubble tea – a drink that has become “ubiquitous” and “wildly popular” there in recent years.
It acknowledged that green and black tea were indeed helpful in reducing the risk of diseases such as diabetes, arthritis and cancer, but warned that bubble tea (which contains sugar, milk and non-dairy creamer) could actually increase the risk of chronic diseases.
Non-dairy creamer is a milk substitute that contains trans fat in the form of hydrogenated palm oil. This oil has been strongly correlated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, the hospital said.
Non-dairy creamer is a milk substitute that contains trans fat in the form of hydrogenated palm oil. This oil has been strongly correlated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke
It added that the number of calories in a medium-sized cup of bubble tea were equivalent to a slice of cheesecake and advised consumers to limit their intake to two cups a week.