On a recent Sunday, Li Mingchun had dinner with two of his friends, and one of them bought him two bottles of milk tea because "nothing is more compatible with a nice meal than sweet milk tea".

Li drank them both, followed by a Coca-Cola.

"It is common for young people to buy each other milk tea. For me, the more, the merrier," the 28-year-old said.

Li drinks four to six cups of milk tea every week because he prefers sweet drinks and does not like water.

He buys and drinks a cup of milk tea whenever he sees one of the popular brands, he said. "It is especially satisfying to drink iced milk tea after working out, and drinking sweet milk tea with a loved one brings double the amount of joy."

Li doesn't think about the negative aspects of the sweet drink, although he is aware of the health impacts of consuming too much sugar.

"I only think about the happiness it brings. If I want to burn off the calories, I just work out every day," he said.

Sweet addiction

However, a recent research paper has shown that frequent consumption of the beverage might lead to addiction, which is associated with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

The "New Form of Addiction: An Emerging Hazardous Addiction Problem of Milk Tea Among Youths" report, was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders and written by researchers from Tsinghua University and the Central University of Finance and Economics.

The research was based on a study of 5,281 college students in Beijing in 2022. The study found that nearly 77 percent of the survey participants drank at least six to 11 cups of milk tea in 2021. Among them, 2.6 percent of students drank four to six cups of milk tea each week, while 20.6 percent drank two to three cups a week.

Milk tea addiction was measured by several parameters, such as frequent milk tea consumption, persistent craving, guilty feelings for drinking too much, and an inability to stop imbibing the beverage.

The study found that milk tea addiction was associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

A plausible explanation is that milk tea, being a sweet beverage, contains a significant amount of sugar. Other research has demonstrated that a high-fructose diet can elevate cortisol levels leading to dysregulation, the ability to control or regulate emotional responses, of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The axis is a communication system between three organs. It is responsible for helping manage stress and has profound effects on emotions and behaviors, according to the paper.

The results of the study have crucial implications for policymakers, as milk tea addiction may pose a severe problem among youth, the paper said.

It advised policymakers to consider enacting regulations for the milk tea industry. Measures could include regulating milk tea advertisements, introducing educational programs on the detrimental effects of addiction on mental health, and introducing food hygiene standards for the drink's ingredients.

Milk tea, which has gained worldwide popularity in recent years, is an umbrella term encompassing all beverages sold in milk tea shops, such as milk tea, fruit tea, floral tea, bubble tea, and others, the report said. This inclusive definition is based on the emerging trend of combining milk tea and other tea drinks in the Chinese market, it added.

According to data by market consultancy iiMedia Research, the market size of China's "new style" tea drinks reached 333.4 billion yuan ($46.4 billion) in 2023, and is expected to grow to 375 billion yuan in 2025.

By the end of August 2023, there were 515,000 new style tea shops in the country, up 36 percent from 2020, the consultancy said.

Health trend

More milk tea brands have started trying to produce "healthy" drinks, with many advertising that their beverages either have "zero sugar" or use a sugar substitute.

According to a Xinhuanet survey of more than 3,700 people, 75 percent of respondents said they would pay closer attention to whether their milk tea is "sugar free" or "low sugar" when ordering a drink. Almost 80 percent of the respondents said milk tea brands should publish the ingredients and sources of their product.

In March, Shanghai started a pilot program involving four tea milk companies that requires them to list their products' nutritional content and sugar levels.

Each drink is graded from A to D based on the amount of sugar and fat it contains, with A being the most recommended and D the least.

Xu Hongtao, deputy head of the China Chain Store and Franchise Association, said more consumers are now paying attention to milk tea drinks' ingredients and whether they are healthy to consume.

While there are no national or industry standards imposed on milk tea drink companies, the trend is for them to provide healthier products to meet consumer demand, he said.

Xia Mu, 34, said he used to drink milk tea every day, but has stopped completely and only drinks coffee because of the health risks involved.

He used to work at a milk tea store in Changsha, Hunan province. A standard 650-milliliter cup of milk tea usually contains 40 ml of sugar. For lemon tea, it usually has 70 to 80 ml of sugar for the same volume to counter the sour taste of lemon, he said.

Xia said he has learned a lot about the harm too much sugar has on people's health, so he decided to cut out the beverage completely. As a result, his complexion has improved, he said.

Yang Cheng, a media professional in Changsha also stopped drinking milk tea because he found himself quickly gaining weight after he started working and began overindulging in the drink.

He gained 10 kilograms in a year and the caffeine from tea also kept him awake until 3 am in the morning.

Yang also watched videos online of people evaluating how much sugar a cup of milk tea actually contains. He said he was surprised to learn it contained so much sugar.

So, he stopped drinking the beverage and turned to coffee. He also stopped eating other food products with a lot of sugar.

Can't stop, won't stop

Hu Dianhan, a college student in Changsha, said she knows drinking milk tea is not healthy, but it has become a habit for many young people.

Students tend to avoid research on the negative impacts of milk tea, Hu said, adding she does not believe such studies deter most students from drinking it.

"Just as we know that it's not healthy to stay up late, eat junk food and sit for too long, we still keep doing it," she said. "It is a cheap and very accessible pursuit, and it's not like it's as dangerous as drinking alcohol or smoking."

Hu drinks milk tea about three to four times a week. She says she uses it to unwind after a bad day or as a reward at the end of a good day.

Milk tea has also become a "cheap currency" for social interactions among young people. It is also the go-to beverage to serve at some wedding ceremonies and banquets, replacing the once ubiquitous baijiu.

On the social media platform Xiaohongshu, there are more than 120,000 posts under the hashtag "milk tea wedding", that highlight young couples choosing to serve it to their guests.

"Who said people need to make a toast with alcohol at a wedding, I choose to make a toast with milk tea and it is super cool," said one post, which received more than 26,000 likes on the platform.

To cash in on the demand, tea brand Heytea launched a group discount in 2022 for weddings. Newlyweds get a five percent discount when they buy 99 cups and 10 percent if they buy 299 cups. Tea brand ChaPanda launched similar discounts, and Chagee, also this year.

Luo Jiali, a college student in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said milk tea and fruit tea have become an important part of social life for college students.

When they have gatherings, most of them will have a tea beverage. Teachers also reward students by buying them the drink when they perform well.

Although Luo knows milk tea has lots of sugar, he seldom pays attention to the possible negative health impacts. He believes his fast metabolism ensures he does not gain weight from drinking the beverage in excess.

He drinks milk tea every day, and has tried almost all the brands. "Whenever I am under a lot of pressure, I tend to buy myself a tea beverage to relax and have a rest," he said.

Contrary to the researchers' findings that excessive milk tea consumption is linked to negative emotions, Luo said he likes imbibing the drink, which makes him happier.

When he is too busy to have a proper meal, he says he orders a heavy milk tea with lots of cream and sugar as a substitute.

He also buys merchandise from milk tea brands when they collaborate with popular movie or game franchises. He collects the merchandise bags and sometimes uses the more sturdy ones as backpacks, which is a common practice and considered cool among students.

His love for milk tea is shared by 22-year-old Zou Xihao, a postgraduate student at a Changsha university.

He drinks the beverage about three to four times a week because it tastes good and his parents used to forbid him from drinking it when he was little.

Whenever he sees there are not many people lining up to buy milk tea, he buys one for himself.

He also does not pay much attention to news of the negative impacts of excessive drinking of milk tea.

"Perhaps I am healthy enough for the time being and cannot feel the side effects," he said. "I do not think too much about it. I drink the beverage because it enriches my life."