When You Drink Bubble Tea Every Day, This Is What Happens To Your Body

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies recommends women drink approximately 2.7 liters of water daily. This can seem like a daunting amount, especially for those who don't enjoy chugging good old-fashioned H20. Fortunately, hydrating alternatives can offer a more exciting option in between sips from the tap.

Bubble tea is certainly refreshing, but can it be considered hydrating? Caffeinated tea is a mild diuretic, according to Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., explaining on behalf of Mayo Clinic that it "may cause the need to urinate." Intuitively, this would lead many to believe it has a dehydrating effect. However, a study found that a few daily cups of caffeinated beverages do not cause dehydration. Nathalie Rhone, RDN, told Eat This, Not That! in an interview that you can think of your favorite caffeinated drink as "an added bonus source of water." And extra hydration never hurts. According to the primary care practice One Medical, hydration keeps your body cool, helps your muscles and joints function better, and helps cleanse waste from the kidneys.

But don't put away that Swell bottle yet. Your favorite boba drink might offer bonus hydration, but Rhone shared that people should still strive to drink at least eight glasses of water daily.

Healthline reported that the antioxidants in green tea can prevent some free radicals from forming in the body, protecting cells and molecules from damage. "It is known that oxidative damage contributes to the development of cancer and that antioxidants may have a protective effect," noted Healthline. So, drinking bubble tea made from green tea could provide you with some much-needed antioxidants.

If green tea isn't your jam, you can brew a different kind and still reap the benefits. According to Eat This, Not That!, all teas have antioxidants that can "help boost your metabolism, melt belly fat, fight off diseases, and even reduce your risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease."

But don't get too excited. The Guardian cited a German study that found that the addition of milk in tea could wipe out these benefits. "Since milk appears to modify the biological activities of tea ingredients, it is likely that the anti-tumour effects of tea could be affected as well," said Verena Stangl, a professor of cardiology at Berlin's Charité hospital. Basically, if you want to retain all the benefits of tea, drink it freshly brewed and plain.

According to nutritional information provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, while there can be some calcium intake from added milk, most bubble tea drinks boast little in the way of vitamins, nutrients, and fiber. 

A 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that energy obtained from fluids can be less satisfying than calories consumed from solid foods, so we often compensate by over-drinking to get that feeling of fullness. And that means we could be drinking a whole lot more than we should be just to satiate our hunger.

Eat This, Not That! offered tips to make your bubble tea drink healthier. The publication advised to choose "real fruit rather than artificial sweeteners and unsweetened milks," and noted, "Sugars that occur naturally in foods like fruit and milk aren't the kinds of added sugars you need to be concerned with because they're paired with vitamins, minerals, and fiber."

The Mayo Clinic explains that when you have type 2 diabetes, your body can't make enough insulin to meet its needs — so, instead of filtering to your cells, sugar accumulates directly in your bloodstream. While genetics and other factors can play a role in the onset of type 2 diabetes, the most effective way to prevent it, according to the Mayo Clinic, is with healthy lifestyle choices, including diet and exercise.

The Health Promotion Board recommends that you restrict added sugar intake to between eight and 11 teaspoons daily. Many bubble teas, however, boast double that suggested amount of added sugar. "As a drink accompanying a meal, or even a post-meal snack, it can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels and surges in insulin, which increases diabetes risk, or worsens sugar control if you already have diabetes," noted Shape.

Sweetened drinks can be a big culprit leading to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. A 2010 study published in Diabetes Care claimed that adding one serving of a sweetened beverage to your diet daily could increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Lina Felipez, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, Fla., told Live Science that eating a large quantity of tapioca balls in bubble tea could "for sure" lead to an uncomfortable case of constipation. Feliz elaborated that, while tapioca is a very starchy food made mostly of carbohydrates, it is not likely to cause constipation by itself. However, consuming tapioca bubbles that have been made with an additive could, indeed, increase one's chances of experiencing these undesirable digestive troubles, per Live Science.

According to Health, guar gum, an additive frequently used in the making of bubble tea tapioca pearls, can lead to constipation. "Guar gum is a fiber that helps hold the balls together; it also expands when it comes in contact with water," noted Health. Ironically, guar gum is sometimes used to treat digestive problems. However, when it's "consumed in high amounts and with insufficient water," it can instead cause constipation. So, if you want to avoid annoying and sometimes even painful constipation, it might be a good idea to slow down with your boba tea orders.

A little constipation might not be pleasant, but it's nothing to panic about. Unless, of course, you experience severe stomach pain and an inability to eat. According to a story published in Asia One, a 14-year-old girl in China visited the hospital after experiencing five days of digestive discomfort. A CT scan reportedly revealed what some doctors believed to be one hundred trapped undigested tapioca pearls. While the young patient claimed to drink just one cup of boba tea five days earlier, Dr. Zhang Louzhen, the treating physician, believes she must have had more. The article also warned bubble tea enthusiasts that some stores "add thickeners and preservatives to the pearls." Asia One reported, "Continuous consumption of such ingredients can lead to gastro-intestinal dysfunction."

Still, many medical experts are skeptical. "This seems kind of like a sensationalized story," Dr. Ryan Marino, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told Today. But there's a lesson to be learned. "If there is anything to be taken away here it is taking things with a grain of salt and enjoying things in moderation," Marino added.

Sugar content, simple carbohydrates, and a lack of nutrients might be the least of your concerns if you drink bubble tea every day. Some experts believe that the tapioca balls in bubble tea could contain "cancer-causing chemicals," according to HuffPost, which reported on a Daily News' article.

Researchers from the University Hospital Aachen reported finding traces of the carcinogenic chemical aspolychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs) in tapioca ball samples in a study, as reported by HuffPost. Since the release of this study, however, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported that a large manufacturer of boba tea disputed the research's claims, and the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration also reportedly expressed doubts over the study's authenticity.

Furthermore, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clarified that the compounds cited should not actually be classified as PCBs, according to Berkeley Wellness. So, if this study's results had you worried, rest assured that you need not quit your boba tea habit entirely.