Bad news for milk tea drinkers, as the beverage - which comes in different forms such as bubble tea - has some disturbing links to depression, according to a new study. Milk tea is widely consumed worldwide, but it has become particularly popular among young people in China over recent years. While many of us buy the drink as a sweet treat or pick-me-up, researchers from Tsinghua University and the Central University of Finance and Economics in China investigated whether milk tea addiction is a thing. After 5,281 university students in Beijing were surveyed as part of the research published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, they found that milk tea addiction does exist and also spotted connections between this issue with anxiety and depression. Researchers noted the "tremendous growth" the beverage has had with youth as well as their findings from the study. "Our findings highlighted that milk tea consumption might lead to addiction, and it is associated with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation," they wrote in the paper. Nearly half of the students surveyed said they had at least one cup of milk tea on a weekly basis, while a scale of addiction was used to understand the symptoms such as cravings, immoderation and how this affects daily life. Given that milk tea includes both caffeine and extra sugar, the effects of these ingredients cause worry - with low moods and social isolation as examples. "The results indicate that milk tea consumption might lead to addiction symptoms, including frequency, dependence/craving, intention to stop, unable to stop, tolerance, and guilty feelings," the paper read. Milk tea addiction has been compared to social media and drugs in terms of how damaging it can be, particularly when used to try and regulate emotions. However, a large study would be needed over a longer period of time to gain further understanding of this. To conclude, researchers want further regulation and safeguarding against both the physical and mental symptoms possibly connected to drinking milk tea, for example addiction, depression and obesity. "Current findings can assist policymakers in developing regulations such as restricting advertising, providing psycho-education, establishing food hygiene standards for such a prosperous youth-dominant consumption industry while protecting their mental health," they stated. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

How Barcelona midfielder Gavi's minutes compare with Pedri after his serious knee injury.

Argentina President-elect Javier Milei promised swift measures to pull the economy out of a deep crisis, adding that

Ukraine's Sports Minister Vadym Gutzeit does not "exclude the Russians making a 'goodwill gesture' not to go" to the Paris Olympics next year, he...

The UK government said Monday it would issue "hundreds" of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea to secure energy reserves while still aiming for...

President Joe Biden, eager to showcase US leadership in the face of Beijing and Moscow, this week leads another major summit, but this time the guests will include not only...

PALO ALTO, Calif. The Federal Reserve is "on track" to doing what is necessary to meet the two

Bad news for boozers - alcohol is linked to more than 60 diseases. According to new Oxford University research published Thursday in the journal Nature Medicine, even occasional drinkers were at a higher risk for certain conditions, including more than 30 illnesses not previously linked to alcohol. The researchers studied the effects of alcohol on 512,000 men and women in China for 12 years. 41 per cent of those studied were man and they were all recruited from 10 areas across China and drank at different frequencies. “Alcohol consumption is adversely related to a much wider range of diseases than has previously been established, and our findings show these associations are likely to be causal,” lead study author Pek Kei Im, a research fellow at Oxford Population Health, said in a statement. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 28 ailments the researches found had already been tied to drinking, such as esophageal cancer, liver disease and diabetes. The remaining 33 had not been established as drinking-related illnesses, including stomach and lung cancers, gastric ulcers and gout. “It is becoming clear that the harmful use of alcohol is one of the most important risk factors for poor health, both in China and globally,” said senior study author Iona Millwood, an associate professor at Oxford Population Health. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The latest negotiations toward a global plastic treaty concluded late Sunday with disagreement about how the pact should work and frustration from environment groups over...

President Joe Biden will issue blunt new warnings about ongoing threats to US democracy in a major address Thursday, sharpening the central argument in his potential rematch with Donald Trump, who he's accused of trying to "destroy" bedrock American institutions.

India’s foreign minister accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of not taking action against extremists living in Canada

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that ties between New Delhi and Washington are stronger and