这种饮料除了“上瘾”，还会让你抑郁、焦虑！

Frequent milk tea drinking can be addictive and is linked to higher risks of depression and anxiety.

A study of 5,281 college students in Beijing, with an average age of 21, by researchers from Tsinghua University and the Central University of Finance and Economics found that 77 percent had consumed 6 to 11 cups of milk tea in the past year.

About 20.6 percent drank 2 to 3 cups a week, 2.6 percent had 4 to 6, and 1.2 percent drank one daily.

Women and younger students were more likely to show signs of milk tea addiction, including frequent drinking, cravings, guilt, withdrawal, difficulty stopping, tolerance, and wanting to quit. 

More importantly, higher addiction levels were associated with greater risks of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

图源：人民日报健康客户端

Milk tea's pleasurable and addictive appeal comes from the brain's reward system. A central component is dopamine, a neurotransmitter. 

The brain releases dopamine in response to pleasurable food, especially sugar and fat, and milk tea's high sugar content can trigger this response, encouraging repeated cravings.

Many milk teas also contain caffeine, which can have a stimulating effect. 

图源：人民日报健康客户端

多项研究显示，从口味偏好来看，女性通常更喜欢甜味，而男性则可能更倾向于咸味或辛辣食物。

Multiple studies suggest that women tend to prefer sweet flavors, while men are more drawn to salty or spicy foods.

此外，女性可能倾向于使用甜食作为情绪调节工具，即通过食物来应对压力或负面情绪。在面对情绪压力时，女性可能更多地依赖食物，特别是甜食，作为缓解工具。因此，奶茶可能被视为一种“舒压剂”，帮助女性应对日常压力和情绪波动。

Besides, women are more likely to use sweets to regulate mood, especially when coping with stress or negative emotions. For them, milk tea can serve as a "stress reliever", offering comfort during daily pressure and emotional ups and downs.

女性对奶茶的偏好可能是多因素共同作用的结果，这也解释了为什么女性是奶茶的主要消费者，并且更容易出现与奶茶有关的成瘾现象。

Women's preference for milk tea is probably driven by a combination of factors. That also helps explain why women are the main consumers of milk tea, and why they may be more susceptible to milk-tea-related addictive behaviors.

Milk tea may be sweet, but drinking it daily can age the skin. Excess glucose can react with proteins, amino acids, or lipids to form advanced glycation end products (AGEs). These substances can glycate collagen and elastin, accelerating skin aging.

Milk tea is often high in sugar, which may trigger or worsen acne. Even drinks ordered with no additional sugar can contain a significant amount. A survey of common milk tea brands in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, found that samples with no extra sugar averaged 3.97 grams of sugar per 100 grams, while full-sugar milk tea averaged 7.53 grams per 100 grams.

Milk tea is calorie-dense, so regular consumption can lead to weight gain. Calories are not the only issue. Milk tea commonly contains fructose, and sucrose also releases fructose during digestion. Animal studies have shown that fructose can increase intestinal cells' absorption of nutrients from high-fat foods.

Non-dairy creamer used in milk tea contains trans fatty acids. Excessive intake of trans fats increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Fructose in milk tea promotes uric acid production. Too much sugar can also cause insulin resistance, which indirectly reduces uric acid excretion and raises the risk of gout attacks.

Milk tea often contains a considerable amount of caffeine. Drinking too much at night can leave people wide awake and make it difficult to fall asleep.