Sweet-toothed bubble tea lovers, look away now: the sugary drink has grown so popular in Singapore that a hospital in the island city state is urging consumers to modify their orders to make them healthier. A survey of seven different bubble teas found the unhealthiest option by far was brown sugar milk tea with pearls which had 18.5 teaspoons of sugar Mount Alvernia Hospital – a private, not-for-profit tertiary care medical institution – published an article on its website on this month comparing the sugar and calorie levels of various types of bubble tea and their toppings. It later posted an infographic of the article on Facebook following “overwhelming requests” from visitors. <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> Happy Friday! Due to overwhelming requests from last week's post, we have done up a simple guide for easier viewing and... Posted by Mount Alvernia Hospital on Friday, 12 July 2019 In the article, the hospital warned Singaporeans against the sugar content of bubble tea – a drink that has become “ubiquitous” and “wildly popular” there in recent years. It acknowledged that green and black tea were indeed helpful in reducing the risk of diseases such as diabetes, arthritis and cancer, but warned that bubble tea (which contains sugar, milk and non-dairy creamer) could actually increase the risk of chronic diseases. Non-dairy creamer is a milk substitute that contains trans fat in the form of hydrogenated palm oil. This oil has been strongly correlated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, the hospital said. Non-dairy creamer is a milk substitute that contains trans fat in the form of hydrogenated palm oil. This oil has been strongly correlated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke Mount Alvernia Hospital, Singapore It added that the number of calories in a medium-sized cup of bubble tea were equivalent to a slice of cheesecake and advised consumers to limit their intake to two cups a week. Emirates has a secret drinks menu – only served on request The worst choice? Brown sugar milk tea with pearls The hospital compared the sugar level in seven types of bubble tea orders, and found that the unhealthiest option by far was brown sugar milk tea with pearls. This drink contained 18.5 teaspoons of sugar. The second most unhealthy option was winter melon tea, at 16 teaspoons of sugar. An adult’s daily recommended sugar intake is 8 to 11 teaspoons, while for children and teenagers, it is 5 teaspoons. And while fruit-based drinks might seem healthy, they were in fact worse choices: passion fruit green tea (8.5 teaspoons) and jasmine green tea with fruit toppings (8.5 teaspoons) outranked milk tea with pearls (8 teaspoons) in sugar content. Fruit-based drinks may seem healthy, but are worse choices: passion fruit green tea, with 8.5 teaspoons of sugar and jasmine green tea with fruit toppings (8.5 teaspoons) outranked milk tea with pearls (8 teaspoons) To counter any cravings for sugary drinks, the hospital advised consumers to pick bubble tea shops that allowed them to change the sweetness level of the drinks and slowly reduce the sugar level to “train” their taste buds. Foam toppings have even more calories than pearls Apart from the drinks themselves, the hospital also compared the calorie content of various toppings. Why shochu, Japan’s most popular drink, is unknown to most of us The toppings with the highest calories were milk foam (203 calories) and cheese foam (180 calories), beating out the classic option of black tapioca pearls (156 calories). The lowest-calorie topping in the list was aloe vera, at 31 calories. The hospital warned that toppings such as jellies and pearls were kept in a sweet syrup to keep them moist, which added to the drink’s sugar and calorie count. Mount Alvernia Hospital warns that toppings such as jellies and pearls are kept in a sweet syrup to keep them moist, which adds to the drink’s sugar and calorie count It added that new trends such as honey pearls or brown sugar syrup increased the drink’s sugar content even more. 10 best weekend brunches with free-flow drinks in Hong Kong 5 tips from Singapore’s Mount Alvernia Hospital to ordering healthier bubble tea 1. Choose a smaller cup size 2. Pick “plain” green tea, oolong tea or black tea 3. Ask for 30 per cent sugar levels or less 4. Ask for fresh, low-fat or skimmed milk instead of non-dairy creamer 5. Avoid toppings, or pick lower-calorie options such as aloe vera and white pearls Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter This article originally appeared on Business Insider .