Teen Allegedly Suffers Constipation Due To 100 Undigested Bubble Tea Pearls In Her Body
She complained that she could not move her bowels for five days.
By Tamara Jayne — 07 Jun 2019, 11:51 AM
If you're obsessed with bubble tea, you might think twice after reading this.
A 14-year-old girl who suffered constipation recently discovered that she had "more than 100 undigested bubble tea pearls" stuck inside her body.
The girl, who lives in Zhejiang province, had complained that she was unable to eat or move her bowels for five days
According to AsiaOne, her parents eventually took their daughter to a hospital on 28 May, where a CT scan revealed that she had unusual sphere-shaped objects in her abdomen.
The girl admitted to the doctor that she had drank a cup of bubble tea five days prior to the incident.
The doctor, identified as Zhang Lou Wei, allegedly concluded that the objects were more than 100 undigested tapioca pearls stuck inside her stomach, colon, and anus.
Based on the amount of pearls in her body, Zhang deduced that it could have been an accumulation of bubble tea she drank over a period of time.
The girl was then prescribed laxatives to expel the objects from her body.
Head of the Zhuji City People's Hospital's emergency department, Yu Ling, has since warned the public that tapioca pearls are difficult to digest
This is due to the fact that bubble tea pearls are made of starch.
According to Chinese news daily The Paper, some bubble tea merchants may add thickeners and preservatives to the pearls to make it chewier.
Continuous consumption of these pearls could lead to gastrointestinal issues.
Further checks with Dr. Prabakaran Solomon Dhanaraj from Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Sabah revealed that pearls made with "fake" ingredients could also make it hard to digest.
Another general practitioner in Klang Valley also shared with SAYS that it is unlikely for a healthy "normal" person to experience such a case. However, if the patient has a "digestive disorder or intolerance", it is possible.