M’sian Dietician: 2 Cups of Boba Max per Month to Prevent Obesity & Diabetes

Boba shops are STILL sprouting like crazy even though the craze had died down a little lately. Some people are definitely addicted and wouldn’t miss the chance to get their daily dose of sugary boba.

Lai, a dietician from Seremban mentioned that a regular cup of bubble tea contains extremely high amounts of sugar, which is approximately TWENTY teaspoons of sugar. That equates to 400 to 600 calories! She emphasises that the increase in sugar intake will lead to higher chances of developing diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

FYI, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the recommended daily sugar intake for men would be nine teaspoons, as for women, it would be six teaspoons. A teaspoon contains 5 grams of sugar. Can you imagine a single cup of boba is about three times the amount of sugar that we need per day?

The aforementioned health conditions are beginning to occur among younger people, and our diet has become a subject of concern. Especially when our body can’t process all that sugar, it will be turned into fat, thus causing weight gain. Knowing that it is indeed challenging to resist delicious boba drinks, Lai recommended us to have boba drinks as little as twice a month.

According to Sin Chew Daily, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner also expressed his concerns about the whole sugary situation. He explained that the sticky (and starchy) tapioca pearls are difficult to digest, and a cup of boba contains quite a considerable amount of the pearls as well. Also, because most boba drinks are best served iced, he said that it could develop gastrointestinal problems if we had too much of it.

We understand that boba drinks are irresistible, but keep in mind to have them in moderation to prevent diseases when we can! Imagine the long queues of people we see at boba shops now making their way to the doctor’s door soon. ?