Calories and sugars in boba milk tea: Implications for obesity risk in Asian Pacific Islanders

Abstract

In the last several decades, obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions, and increases the risk for a host of comorbidities, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain kinds of cancers. Boba milk tea, first became popular in the 1990s throughout Asia, and has gained more popularity in the United States and in Europe since 2000. Currently, available nutrition data from online sites suggest this beverage contains high amounts of sugar and fat. One published nutrition study suggests that boba tea drinks are part of the larger group of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) because these beverages are usually sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This study experimentally determined the sugar composition (sucrose, fructose, glucose, and melezitose) and calorific values of boba milk tea drinks and their components. Results suggested that boba drinks fit the US Dietary Guidelines definition of a SSB. One 16-ounce boba drink exceeds the upper limit of added sugar intake recommended by the 2015 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The high caloric and sugar content of boba beverages pose public health concerns as they have the potential to further exacerbate the childhood obesity epidemic. Nutrition education targeting Asian populations should give special attention to boba tea as a SSB. Also, prudent public health recommendations should be suggested for moderate consumption of these beverages. With the growing popularity of boba beverages in the United States, the findings from this study provide public health practitioners with valuable data on how boba beverages compare with other SSBs.

Full text

1
Introduction
Boba milk tea, also known as bubble or pearl tea, first
became popular in the 1990s throughout Asia, and has
gained more popularity in the United States and in Europe
since 2000 (Alexander 2001). The origin of this beverage
dates back to the 1980s in Taiwan, where a Taiwanese
tea shop owner, Liu Han- Chieh, and his product develop-
ment manager, Lin Hsiu Hui, experimented with adding
different ingredients such as fruit, syrup, and Tapioca
ball in milk tea beverages (Chang 2012). The central
ingredient in this type of drink is “boba” or “pearl” balls.
These boba balls are made of tapioca, which are boiled
to produce a round chewy ball that is then added to hot
and cold beverages such as tea, coffee, smoothies, slushies,
and blended beverages. These beverages are usually con-
sumed with a large straw, through which the tapioca balls
are slurped and chewed.
Boba tea beverages are especially popular in large met-
ropolitan areas with high concentrations of Asian American
Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth and young adults (Rosen
2015). Evidence of this drink’s popularity in the United
States is clear: a quick search on Yelp using the key words
“boba tea” yields more than 200 listings of boba tea stores,
just in the Los Angeles area alone (Yelp, 2016). The
popularity of boba tea has expanded to Europe, with boba
stores now in metropolitan cities such as London
(Townsend 2014). In the United States, the popularity of
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Calories and sugars in boba milk tea: implications for
obesity risk in Asian Pacific Islanders
Jae Eun Min1, David B. Green2 & Loan Kim1
1Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California 90263
2Department of Chemistry, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California 90263
© 2016 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords
Asian Pacific Islanders, boba, calorific value,
obesity, saccharides, sugar-sweetened
beverages
Correspondence
David B. Green, Department of Chemistry,
Pepperdine University, Malibu, 90263 CA.
Tel: 310 506 4355; Fax: 310 506 4785;
E-mail: david.green@pepperdine.edu
Funding Information
Seaver Research Council of Pepperdine
University. Flora Laney Thornton Endowment
for Nutritional Science.
Received: 10 August 2015; Revised: 16
February 2016; Accepted: 3 March 2016
doi: 10.1002/fsn3.362
Abstract
In the last several decades, obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions,
and increases the risk for a host of comorbidities, including diabetes, cardio-
vascular disease, and certain kinds of cancers. Boba milk tea, first became popular
in the 1990s throughout Asia, and has gained more popularity in the United
States and in Europe since 2000. Currently, available nutrition data from online
sites suggest this beverage contains high amounts of sugar and fat. One pub-
lished nutrition study suggests that boba tea drinks are part of the larger group
of sugar- sweetened beverages (SSB) because these beverages are usually sweetened
with high- fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This study experimentally determined
the sugar composition (sucrose, fructose, glucose, and melezitose) and calorific
values of boba milk tea drinks and their components. Results suggested that
boba drinks fit the US Dietary Guidelines definition of a SSB. One 16- ounce
boba drink exceeds the upper limit of added sugar intake recommended by the
2015 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The high caloric and sugar
content of boba beverages pose public health concerns as they have the potential
to further exacerbate the childhood obesity epidemic. Nutrition education tar-
geting Asian populations should give special attention to boba tea as a SSB.
Also, prudent public health recommendations should be suggested for moderate
consumption of these beverages. With the growing popularity of boba beverages
in the United States, the findings from this study provide public health prac-
titioners with valuable data on how boba beverages compare with other SSBs.

2© 2016 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
J. Min et al.Calories and Sugars in Boba Milk Tea
boba is such that there is a designated page on Wikipedia
to detail the history of boba tea, along with a listing of
over 13 boba store chains, and descriptions of over 200
variations in boba drinks (Tea 2016, Wikipedia, 2016).
As it has become so popular and commonplace, individu-
als can purchase their own boba ingredients and watch
YouTube videos to learn techniques for how to make
boba teas at home (Nuts, 2016). There is even a boba
school devoted to teaching the trade of making boba
drinks to clients interested in opening a boba store (Wei
2015).
Over the years, the original boba milk tea drink has
expanded to consist of more variations and combinations.
Internet blogs describe boba as more than just tea drinks;
some have suggested that these are tea desserts (Rosen
2015). The primary component in boba teas are the black
tapioca “boba” balls, which are usually made from cassava
starch, sweet potato, and brown sugar. Less commonly,
white tapioca pearls are used, and these are made from
cassava starch, caramel, and chamomile root and have a
different flavor (Weil 2012). In addition, other ingredients
that are commonly added to boba drinks include jelly
(Nata de coco) and egg pudding. Additionally, other vari-
ations in boba drinks include fruit smoothies and slushies,
blended coffee and tea combinations.
Currently, available nutrition data on boba drinks are
from popular press or online sources, but there’s a paucity
of published research to document the nutritional quality
of these beverages. Online nutrition facts data from large
boba chains suggest this beverage contains high amounts
of sugar and fat (Weil 2012). A search on the internet
for calorific value of boba drinks found that a 16- ounce
serving of boba milk tea contains between 200–450 calo-
ries, depending on the type of boba beverage and what
additional ingredients are included (FatStraws, 2015; Weil
2012; Carey 2015). One published nutrition study con-
ducted by Taiwanese researchers Chan and colleagues
suggests that boba tea drinks are part of the larger group
of sugar- sweetened beverages (SSB) because these bever-
ages are usually sweetened with high- fructose corn syrup
(HFCS; mainly HFCS- 55) (Chan et al. 2014). Other than
this study and a plethora of online articles about the
nutritional quality of boba tea drinks, there is still a lack
of knowledge about the calorific values or sugar source
of these boba drinks. Therefore, the purpose of this study
was to analyze the sugar composition (sucrose, fructose,
glucose, and melezitose) and calorific value of boba milk
tea drinks. The findings of this study have important
implications for public health as knowledge of the nutri-
tional composition of boba drinks will allow public health
researchers to evaluate whether this beverage should be
classified as a SSB, and if so, how these beverages influ-
ence health and obesity in the United States
Material and Methods
Reagents
Boba milk tea and the added ingredients (egg pudding,
jelly, tapioca “boba” balls) were purchased at a local boba
chain store located in a densely populated Asian com-
munity in Los Angeles, California. The milk tea boba
and components purchased were the most typical boba
drink as described by the proprietor and came in the
standard size (473 mL or 16 ounces). The added ingre-
dients of tapioca “boba” balls, egg pudding, and jelly
were chosen because they represented the common add- on
ingredients in boba drinks. Three samples each of equiva-
lent lots of each component were purchased. After pur-
chase, drinks or individual components were refrigerated
in preparation for analyses. Sugar standards, acetic acid,
and benzoic acid (Fisher Scientific, Hanover Park, IL,
USA) were ACS grade or better and used without further
purification. Water was deionized by ion exchange to a
resistivity >16 MΩ- cm and filtered to 0.2 μm (Barnstead
Nanopure II).
Solid- phase extraction cartridges were purchased from
Phenomenex (Torrance, CA). For reversed- phase extrac-
tions, 3- mL cartridges packed with 500 mg of Strata
C18- E (55 μm, 70Å) sorbant were utilized. For ion-
exchange extractions, 6- mL cartridges packed with 1 g
of Strata ABW (55 μm, 70Å) mixed- bed ion- exchange
resin were used.
Sample preparation for saccharides
determinations
Samples were prepared using a published method adapted
to the liquid, solid, and semisolid components of a boba
beverage (Brereton and Green 2012). All the boba bever-
age components were refrigerated at 4°C and were brought
to room temperature prior to use. Liquid samples by
diluting 100- μL aliquots with 1 mL of 10 mmol/L acetic
acid in 1.5- mL microcentrifuge tubes, followed by vortex-
ing to completely mix the suspension. Semisolid samples
(egg pudding) were prepared by combining 100 mg of
the foodstuff with 1 mL of 10 mmol/L acetic acid in 1.5-
mL microcentrifuge tubes followed by vortexing to disperse
and suspend the viscous pudding. Solid foodstuffs (tapioca
and jelly) were prepared by weighing 100 mg (wet mass)
of a foodstuff into a 1 mL Dounce tissue grinder (Wheaton
Science, Millville, NJ, USA) and macerating with 1 mL of
10 mmol/L acetic acid. The suspension was transferred to
a microcentrifuge tube and the tissue grinder was rinsed
three times with 10- mmol/L acetic acid. Each vial was
centrifuged (Eppendorf Microcentrifuge, Hauppauge, NY,
USA) for 5 min at 16,000 × g.

3
© 2016 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Calories and Sugars in Boba Milk TeaJ. Min et al.
Triglycerides, fatty acids, and lipids remaining in the
supernatant of the centrifuged samples were removed by
reversed- phase solid- phase extraction. A Strata C18- E car-
tridge was preconditioned by flushing with 2 mL of
methanol followed by 3 mL of water at a flow rate of
4 mL/min. The supernatant was extracted at a flow rate
of 3–4 mL/min and the eluent collected into a polyeth-
ylene tube. The centrifuge vial was rinsed twice with 1 mL
of deionized water, and each rinse was subsequently used
to wash the cartridge bed and was combined with the
extracted solution.
Any remaining salts and proteins were removed from
the sample by mixed- bed ion exchange. A Strata ABW
mixed- bed ion- exchange cartridge was conditioned by
flushing with 2 mL of methanol followed by 3 mL of
water at a flow rate of 4 mL/min. The entire eluent
obtained from the reversed- phase extraction was extracted
with the ABW cartridge with an additional 1 mL of water
to rinse the vial and flush the ABW cartridge. The extract
was diluted to a standard volume and immediately ana-
lyzed by high- performance liquid chromatography or stored
at 4°C for later analysis. All samples were analyzed within
7 days of preparation. Triplicate preparations were per-
formed for all samples.
High- performance liquid chromatographic
analysis
Saccharide analysis was performed by ligand- exchange
chromatography using a Rezex RCM Monosaccharide
column (Ca2+- loaded, 25 cm × 7.8 mm, 8 μm dp,
Phenomenex, Inc.) protected with a SecureGuard® guard
cartridge (Phenomenex) coupled to a Spectra Physics
SP8800 HPLC pump and Thermo Separations
RefractomonitorIV refractive index detector. The column
was thermostatted at 85°C. The pure water mobile phase
was vacuum degassed throughout the analysis and the
flow rate was 0.6 mL/min. The manual injection volume
was 20 μL and samples were filtered through a
4- mm- diameter 0.2 μm PVDF membrane syringe- tip filter
(Millipore, Billerica, MA, USA) during the injector load
step. The identity of the saccharides was determined by
comparison to authentic standards and quantitation was
by comparison of integrated peak areas to rectilinear cali-
bration plots.
Determination of calorific values by bomb
calorimetry
A measured volume of liquid samples was transferred to
an aluminum evaporating dish and dried to constant mass
at 80°C (~48 h). Solid and semisolid samples were mac-
erated with an equal mass of water to a homogeneous
suspension in a blender (Waring Conair Corp., South
Shelton, CT, USA). Slurries were transferred to aluminum
evaporating dishes and dried to constant mass at 80°C
(~48 h). Weighed portions of the dried samples were
ground with an equal mass of benzoic acid, and ~1- g
portions were pressed into 13- mm- diameter pellets for
bomb calorimetric analysis.
Bomb calorimetry was performed with a Parr Plain
Jacket Oxygen Bomb Calorimeter (Model 1341) equipped
with a digital thermometer (Parr Model 6775). Two liters
of deionized water was placed in the static jacket for
every measurement and allowed to thermally equilibrate.
Constant initial temperature was assumed when the tem-
perature was stable for longer than 30 sec. Temperatures
were measured to a precision of ±0.001°C. The calorimeter
was calibrated with benzoic acid. Standard and sample
masses were nominally 1 g. The oxygen bomb was purged
and charged to 30 bar with oxygen. Three replicates of
standards and every sample were performed.
Results and Discussion
Figure 1 shows representative chromatograms for saccharides
extracted from the tapioca balls and the jelly (Nata de Coco).
The large peak area for the fructose in Figure 1A strongly
suggests that high- fructose corn syrup was the sweetener
in the pudding. The jelly (Fig. 1B) is sweetened with cane
or beet sugar, as demonstrated by the sucrose band domi-
nating the chromatogram. According to the 2010 Dietary
Figure 1. Representative chromatograms of (A) tapioca and (B) jelly
(Nate de Coco).

4© 2016 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
J. Min et al.Calories and Sugars in Boba Milk Tea
Guidelines for Americans, sugar- sweetened beverages (SSBs)
are defined as, “liquids that are sweetened with various
forms of sugars that add calories. These beverages include,
but are not limited to, soda, fruit- ades and fruit drinks,
and sports and energy drinks” (USDA, 2010). Based on
the experimentally determined sugar composition presented
in Figure 1, the boba milk tea beverage fits the US Dietary
Guidelines definition of a sugar- sweetened beverage.
Table 1 summarizes the amounts of each detected sac-
charide for every ingredient in a boba beverage, with
reported values as averages of triplicate measurements.
The assays in Table 1 are scaled and reported for a typi-
cal serving size of 473 mL (16 US oz) of milk tea, 60 g
of tapioca, 50 g of jelly, and 80 g of egg pudding. The
calorific values are reported in food calories (kcal) and
represent the pooled energies from protein, fat, and sac-
charides for each component, as determined by bomb
calorimetrically. Calorific values may slightly overestimate
metabolizable energy due to the inclusion of insoluble
fiber and unavailable carbohydrates in the measurements
(Maynard 1944; Livesey 2002; Zou et al. 2007; Trivedi
2009). Table 2 reports the total saccharide and calorific
values for different combinations of boba beverage ingre-
dients. Results indicate a 16 ounce (473 mL) single serving
of a boba drink with milk tea and tapioca “boba” balls
containing 299 calories and 38 grams of sugar.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend that no more
than about 5–15% of the total daily calories come from
added sugar and solid fats in the diet (DGAC, 2010),
whereas the American Heart Association suggests
Americans to limit added sugars to not more than
150 kcal/day for men and 100 kcal/day for women
(Johnson et al. 2009; AHA, 2015). After applying the
Atwood factor (Maynard 1944; Zou et al. 2007) to the
pooled saccharide measurements, the amount of calories
and added sugar in this boba milk tea beverage contains
the entire quantity of the recommended maximum daily
intake of sugar for men (38 g) (DGAC, 2010) and over
150% for women (25 g) (Johnson, 2009). When com-
bined with the additional ingredients in the beverage,
the pooled saccharides easily exceed the recommended
maximum daily intake of sugar for all populations. A
large 32 US oz (946 mL) serving of boba milk tea that
includes jelly and egg pudding supplies more than 250%
and 384% of the recommended maximum daily intake
of sugar for men and women, respectively.
The concern over SSBs is derived from mounting evi-
dence which links intakes of added sugars from SSBs
Table 1. Summary of saccharide concentrations and calorific values for each component of a boba beverage. Values have also been scaled to one
serving size. Calorific values are pooled: starch, protein, and fat were not measured individually.
Component
Assay11 Serving size2
Sugar (mg/g) Calorific value (kcal/g) Sugar (g) Calorific value (kcal)
Milk Tea30.53 (0.07) 262.6 (35.4)
Melezitose 3.50 (0.06) 1.65 (0.03)
Sucrose 2.65 (0.48) 1.25 (0.23)
Glucose 29.49 (0.34) 13.95 (0.16)
Fructose 43.95 (0.28) 20.79 (0.13)
Total 79.59 (0.95) 37.65 (0.45)
Tapioca 1.30 (0.01) 77.9 (0.7)
Sucrose 19.76 (0.87) 1.19 (0.05)
Glucose 32.21 (0.63) 1.93 (0.04)
Fructose 56.8 (1.2) 3.41 (0.07)
Total 108.8 (2.6) 6.53 (0.16)
Jelly 4.24 (0.04) 212.2 (2.1)
Sucrose 171.5 (1.5) 8.58 (0.08)
Glucose 24.42 (0.05) 1.22 (0.00)
Fructose 36.39 (0.35) 1.82 (0.02)
Total 232.3 (1.1) 11.62 (0.06)
Egg pudding 0.67 (0.004) 53.7 (0.3)
Melezitose 2.74 (0.11) 0.22 (0.01)
Sucrose 1.35 (0.72) 0.11 (0.06)
Glucose 114.2 (1.5) 9.14 (0.12)
Fructose 107.1 (9.1) 8.57 (0.73)
Total 225.4 (9.8) 18.03 (0.79)
1Values in parentheses are 1 standard error (n = 3).
2Milk tea: 473 mL (16 US oz); Tapioca: 60 g; Jelly: 50 g; Egg Pudding: 80 g.
3Sugar concentration is reported in mg/mL and calorific value is reported in Cal/mL.

5
© 2016 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Calories and Sugars in Boba Milk TeaJ. Min et al.
with increased body weight, type 2 diabetes, metabolic
disease, and a host of other obesity- related comorbidities
(Malik et al. 2010; Bray and Popkin 2014). As a result,
the most recent 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory
Committee (DGAC) issued even stronger and more specific
guidelines with regards to added sugar. In the report,
DGAC suggests limiting added sugars intake to below
10% of total energy intake (USDA, 2015). Based on a
2000 calorie diet, this equates to not more than 200 calo-
ries per day (50 grams or 12.5 teaspoons of sugar). The
findings suggest that one 16- ounce boba beverage with
just milk tea and boba easily exceeds the upper limits of
these most recent DGAC recommendations. As seen in
Table 2, this is a “basic” boba beverage; other added
ingredients that accompany this beverage, such as jelly
and egg pudding, can result in total calories well above
16% of total energy intakes; a larger size boba beverage
with all the ingredients exceeds 500 calories, and con-
tributes to 25% of total daily calories. As evident from
Table 3, most of the different categories of SSB, including
boba drinks, exceed these guidelines, and thus increase
individuals’ risk of obesity.
In the last several decades, obesity rates (defined as a
body mass index (BMI) range between 25–29.9 kg/m2,
whereas obesity is having a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher)
have reached epidemic proportions, with two of every
three adults and one of three children being either over-
weight or obese (Flegal et al. 2012). Childhood obesity
(defined as above the 95th percentile based on CDC age-
and gender- specific growth charts) has more than doubled
in children and quadrupled in adolescents. The percentage
of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who
were obese more than doubled, from 7% in 1980 to nearly
18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged
12–19 years who were obese quadrupled, from 5% to
nearly 21% over the same period. (CDC, 2015a) More
than one third of children and adolescents were overweight
or obese in 2012 (CDC, 2015c). Obesity results in a host
of comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease,
and certain kinds of cancers (CDC, 2015b). Children who
are obese during adolescence are more likely to struggle
with obesity and other chronic diseases during their adult
years, ultimately resulting in a shortened life span. Treating
obesity- related health conditions has been estimated to
cost $190 billion a year for the nation (Cawley and
Meyerhoefer 2012).
Among adolescents, increasing attention has been
focused on addressing the consumption of SSB as a
risk factor for obesity. It is well documented in the
health literature that SSB contributes a significant amount
of sugar, total calories, and has been suggested to result
in higher rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
and gout (Swinburn et al. 2004; James and Kerr 2005;
Hu and Malik 2010; Harvard, 2012). The most common
types of SSB in the current US food supply are sodas,
juices, and energy drinks. This study establishes boba
beverages as yet another type of SSB, and these results
have important public health implications with regards
to the obesity epidemic. Sugar- sweetened beverages do
not displace calories from food; instead, they provide
“add- on” calories and thus increase total caloric intake,
resulting in weight gain over time, and thus higher
obesity risk. The high dietary glycemic load from SSBs
due to fructose, in the form of HFCS or sucrose, can
increase the risk for hepatic insulin resistance, visceral
Table 2. Sugar and calorific values in boba beverage served with differing combined components. Small cup = 473 (16 oz); Large cup = 946 mL (32 oz).
Small cup Sugar (g) Calorific value (kcal) Large cup Sugar (g) Calorific value (kcal)
MT + TAP 38 299 MT + TAP 57 448
MT + J 43 269 MT + J 72 431
MT + EP 49 275 MT + EP 75 398
MT + TAP + J 42 292 MT + TAP + J 74 493
MT + TAP + EP 48 297 MT + TAP + EP 77 459
MT + J + EP 53 267 MT + J + EP 93 444
MT + J + EP + TAP 57 323 MT + J + EP + TAP 96 515
Reported values have been corrected for changes in serving sizes when components are mixed. MT, milk tea; TAP, tapioca; J, jelly; EP, egg pudding.
Table 3. A comparison of sugar content and calorific values in some
popular sugar- sweetened beverages.
Beverage
1 Serving size (16 oz)
Sugar (g) Calorific value (kcal)
Milk tea 38 263
Milk tea w/ Tapioca 38 299
Cranberry juice cocktail 67 267
Orange soda 62 227
Energy drink 62 240
Orange juice 56 227
Cola 56 200
Sweetened ice tea 44 168
Sports drink 28 120
Sugar and calorific values were derived from: http://cdn1.sph.harvard.
edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2012/10/how-sweet-is-it-color.pdf.

6© 2016 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
J. Min et al.Calories and Sugars in Boba Milk Tea
fat deposition, and elevated triglyercerides and cholesterol
(Bray and Popkin 2014). Furthermore, recent research
suggests that drinking about 1 L or the equivalent of
two 16 ounce SSBs per day for 6 months can induce
features of metabolic syndrome and fatty liver (Bray
and Popkin 2014).
Given that boba drinks have similar calories and sugar
content as other SSBs, this is a significant public health
concern, particularly among Asian youth who may be
consuming these boa tea beverages daily, in addition to
other SSBs such as sodas and energy drinks. Although
there are no available published data on boba consump-
tion among youth in California, it is estimated that about
half of children, teens, and adults drink at least one serv-
ing of SSB daily (Keihner et al. 2012). Overconsumption
of these SSBs and boba tea can likely contribute to higher
rates of overweight among Asian youth, further contribut-
ing to the current obesity epidemic.
The sugar and total caloric content of boba drinks is
particularly concerning with regards to obesity rates in
Asian youth as research suggests that “Asian countries
have a low prevalence of obesity, yet high rates of obesity-
related diseases.”(Choo 2002) A study conducted by Chiu
and colleagues found that South Asians and Chinese
develop diabetes at lower ranges of BMI than their white
counterparts (Chiu et al. 2011). Other studies suggest that
Asian populations’ BMI cutoff point to be lower than
the international BMI cutoff point that was recommended
by World Health Organization (WHO) (Low et al. 2009).
Asians have different body build and muscularity than
the white population, leading Asians to have a lower BMI
(by about 2–3 kg/m2) (Deurenberg et al. 2002). Therefore,
WHO proposed lowering BMI cutoff point to 23–27.5 kg/
m2 as overweight and ≥27.5 kg/m2 as obese (Shiwaku
et al. 2004). Jih and colleagues investigated the prevalence
of overweight and obesity of AAPI in California using
the lower BMI and found there was an increase number
of AAPI overweight and obese that met the new WHO
Asian BMI criteria (Jih et al. 2014). As the Asian BMI
criteria are not currently used in national- and state- wide
health surveys, it is likely that the Asian obesity rates are
underreported, and thus at greater risk for obesity- related
chronic diseases.
Therefore, prudent public health recommendations sug-
gest moderate consumption of these beverages.
Additionally, healthier alternatives are advised when order-
ing boba drinks, such as choosing boba tea without the
milk, requesting lower sugar options (half sugar or one-
third sugar are available), or leaving out additional ingre-
dients such as pudding, jelly, and tapioca. These alternatives
can reduce the overall caloric value of the boba tea bev-
erages, thus fitting better within the Dietary Guidelines
for added sugars.
There are several limitations to this study. First, boba
beverages were purchased from one retail boba store, and
thus our analysis cannot be generalized to all boba bever-
ages. As each boba store uses different ingredients and
different methods for making boba drinks, this adds to
the challenge of being able to generalize these findings
to all boba drinks. Additionally, the scope of our study
was limited to analysis of boba milk tea with a few addi-
tional ingredients. We did not analyze other types of
hand- shaken boba beverages, such as tea- only drinks,
smoothies with boba, or juice boba drinks. Also, while
these boba beverages contain tea, which have potentially
beneficial antioxidants, we did not analyze the composi-
tion of tea in boba drinks, and therefore cannot draw
any conclusions regarding the potential antioxidant benefits
of boba beverages. Finally, our analysis was limited to
determining total calories and carbohydrate composition
in the boba milk tea beverages. Future studies should
examine the composition of protein, fat, and antioxidants
in boba beverages. Despite the limitations of this study,
this is the first work to document the calorific value and
sugar composition of boba beverages. These findings
advance the nutrition literature and are an important first
step in understanding how this beverage fits in the land-
scape of sugar- sweetened beverages in the United States
Conclusion
This study is the first of its kind to document experi-
mentally derived caloric value and sugar composition in
boba milk tea. Our findings suggest that boba drinks fit
the US Dietary Guidelines definition as a sugar- sweetened
beverage. Additional, one 16- ounce boba drink exceeds
the upper limit of added sugar intake recommended by
the 2015 US DGAC. Given this important knowledge
about the caloric value and sugar source of boba milk
tea drinks, nutrition education targeting Asian populations
should give special attention to boba tea as a SSB. Given
that this popular beverage will only become more popular,
recommendations from public health practitioners working
in Asian communities should suggest moderate consump-
tion of boba drinks, choosing options for less sugar, and
not adding other ingredients such as pudding or jelly.
As this work is the first to document the nutritional value
of boba beverages, research on health risks associated with
drinking boba beverages warrants further study. As our
study was unable to determine how often boba tea can
be consumed without increasing risk of obesity, this is
also an important area for future research. With the grow-
ing popularity of boba beverages in the United States
and around the world, the finding from this study is an
important step toward understanding how boba beverages
compare to other SSBs.

7
© 2016 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Calories and Sugars in Boba Milk TeaJ. Min et al.
Conflict of Interest
None declared.
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