Associations of Bubble Tea Consumption with Sleep Disturbance and Anxiety in Adolescents
A study of nearly 12,000 adolescents in Eastern China has found that frequent bubble tea consumption is associated with higher odds of anxiety symptoms, with the relationship following a clear dose-response pattern. The findings, published in *Nutrients*, add to a growing conversation about how popular sugary beverages may affect adolescent mental health.
Bubble tea, the sweet, tapioca-filled beverage that has exploded in popularity worldwide, is especially beloved among young people. Cafes and tea shops dot city streets from Beijing to Brooklyn, and its Instagram-friendly appearance has made it a cultural staple of teen social life. But a new study from researchers at the Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests there may be a downside to frequent consumption that parents and clinicians should know about.
The study, led by Xiangyu Chen and colleagues, drew on data from the Zhejiang Childhood Behavior and Health Cohort, analyzing responses from 11,847 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18. Participants completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) and reported how often they drank bubble tea, along with other lifestyle and demographic information.
What They Found
Overall, 32.03 percent of the adolescents met the GAD-7 threshold for any anxiety symptoms, a figure consistent with other recent estimates of mental health burden among Chinese youth. When the researchers stratified participants by bubble tea consumption frequency, a clear pattern emerged.
Adolescents who drank bubble tea one to two days per week had 12 percent higher odds of reporting anxiety symptoms compared with those who drank it less than once a week (odds ratio 1.12, 95 percent confidence interval 1.02 to 1.22). For those who consumed bubble tea three or more days per week, the odds jumped to 53 percent higher (OR 1.53, 95 percent CI 1.30 to 1.80). The analysis also showed that for each additional day of bubble tea consumption per week, the odds of anxiety increased by roughly 10 percent (OR 1.10, 95 percent CI 1.06 to 1.14).
The researchers tested the robustness of their findings in several ways. First, they applied a stricter cutoff on the GAD-7 (a score of 10 or higher, which indicates moderate to severe anxiety) and found the same pattern held. Second, they used restricted cubic spline analysis to check for nonlinear relationships, confirming a significant positive linear association (p for non-linearity greater than 0.05). Third, they ran subgroup analyses across age groups, sex, school type, urban versus rural residence, and body mass index categories and found the association was consistent across all subgroups.
The study also explored whether sleep disturbance might explain part of the link. In an exploratory mediation analysis, the researchers estimated that sleep problems may partially mediate the association between bubble tea consumption and anxiety, though they caution this finding is preliminary.
Why It Matters
Bubble tea is not a niche curiosity. Global market analyses estimate the bubble tea industry is worth billions of dollars, and it continues to grow rapidly, fueled largely by younger consumers. In China, where this study was conducted, bubble tea chains have become ubiquitous in both cities and smaller towns. The beverage typically contains high levels of sugar, caffeine, and other additives, any of which could plausibly influence mood, sleep, and anxiety.
High sugar intake triggers blood glucose spikes and crashes that can affect mood, while caffeine in bubble tea is a recognized sleep disruptor. Poor sleep is a well-established risk factor for anxiety in adolescents, and the exploratory mediation finding that sleep disturbance may sit on the causal pathway is consistent with this mechanism.
The dose-response relationship is particularly noteworthy. A pattern where more frequent consumption tracks with progressively higher anxiety odds strengthens the case that the association is not coincidental, even if it does not prove causation.
Limits
The study has important limitations that the authors are transparent about. Its cross-sectional design captures a single snapshot in time, which means it cannot establish cause and effect. It is possible that adolescents who already experience anxiety are more likely to turn to bubble tea as a comfort food or social ritual, rather than the beverage causing their symptoms.
Sleep disturbance was assessed through self-report rather than objective measures such as actigraphy or polysomnography, which introduces potential recall bias. The mediation analysis, while suggestive, was exploratory and not pre-registered. The authors describe the findings as “hypothesis-generating” and state explicitly that they “require confirmation in prospective longitudinal studies.”
Additionally, the study did not account for total sugar and caffeine intake from other sources, nor did it measure the nutritional content of the specific bubble tea products consumed, which can vary enormously between shops and recipes.
Bottom Line
This study adds a meaningful data point to the evidence on nutrition and adolescent mental health, arriving at a moment when anxiety rates among young people are rising in many countries. The dose-response gradient and consistency across subgroups make the findings worth taking seriously.
For clinicians and parents, the practical takeaway is straightforward: bubble tea is a treat, not a staple. Encouraging moderation, especially in a beverage that can pack as much sugar and caffeine as several cans of soda, is consistent with general nutritional guidance.
The definitive answer on whether bubble tea causes anxiety will have to wait for longitudinal studies that track individuals over time, ideally with objective measurements of sleep and dietary intake. As the authors note, this study is a starting point, not the final word.
Funding: The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Program.
Source: Chen X, Liang M, Chen L, Yao W, He Q, Yu M, Wang M. Associations of Bubble Tea Consumption with Sleep Disturbance and Anxiety in Adolescents: Findings from the Zhejiang Childhood Behavior and Health Cohort. *Nutrients*. 2026 Jun 17;18(12):1960. DOI: 10.3390/nu18121960. PMID: 42356346.