Global Lords: I Have Information System

Chapter 794 - 495: The Minecart Hijacking and Arrival at Boss Bang

Over the course of the 15-year study, people who got 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar.

A 15-year study shows that those who get 17%-21% of their calories from added sugar have nearly a 40% higher risk of dying from heart disease compared to those who get 8% of their calories from added sugar.

Is there really milk in milk tea?

Although milk tea and milk differ by only one word, the milk in some milk teas is not actually milk, but is replaced by plant-based creamer or non-dairy creamer.

Studies show that the protein content in milk tea is low, while the trans fat content is high.

Experts believe that the imbalance in indicators of protein and trans fatty acids suggests that businesses may not be using "authentic materials", with milk possibly being replaced by products like non-dairy creamers.

But what are trans fatty acids?

Artificial trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. The primary dietary source for trans fats in processed food is "partially hydrogenated oils."

Trans fatty acids are commonly used in cakes, cookies, frozen pizzas, French fries, popcorn, and other foods.

The "Chinese Dietary Guidelines" recommend that daily intake of trans fatty acids should not exceed 2 grams. However, after testing samples of milk tea, it was found that the trans fat content in one cup of milk tea exceeds the human allowable intake for three days.

The harm of trans fatty acids to the human body is no less than the harm sugars do.

Trans fats raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels. Eating trans fats increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It’s also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Trans fats increase your bad cholesterol level and decrease your good cholesterol level. Consuming trans fats not only increases the risk of heart disease and stroke but also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

A cup of milk tea = 8 cans of Red Bull?!

Have you ever had trouble sleeping at night after drinking milk tea?

That’s because milk tea generally contains a large amount of caffeine, with levels exceeding the standard by several folds.

In one test, experts tested 51 samples and found that the average caffeine content in these samples was as high as 270mg/L, with the highest reaching 828mg/L.

Research shows that a medium cup of Americano coffee contains 108mg of caffeine, and a can of Red Bull contains 50mg of caffeine. In comparison, the caffeine content in some milk teas is alarmingly high: one cup of milk tea = 4 cups of coffee! = 8 cans of Red Bull!

Experts point out that caffeine usually exists in drinks like coffee and strong tea, and healthy adults should not consume more than 200mg in one sitting. Pregnant women and children should avoid caffeine intake as it can cause anxiety-like symptoms, such as palpitations, tremors, and sleep disorders.

And the harm of excessive caffeine intake doesn’t stop there.

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, releases free fatty acids from adipose (fatty) tissue, and affects the kidneys, increasing urination, which can lead to dehydration.

Caffeine can stimulate the central nervous system, releasing free fatty acids from adipose tissue, and affect the kidneys, increasing urination and leading to dehydration.

Shockingly, most milk tea shops do not provide any warnings about containing caffeine in their milk tea.

After seeing this research data, does the milk tea in your hand still smell good?

While financial technology in China is developing rapidly, it also brings new challenges to regulation. Yi Gang, the Governor of the People’s Bank of China, recently emphasized establishing appropriate firewalls to prevent financial risks from spreading across departments and industries. Disconnect improper connections between financial information and business information to prevent the "data-network effect-financial services" closed-loop effect from leading to monopolies.

The continuous development and innovation of China’s financial technology have reduced the cost of financial services, increased efficiency, and effectively assisted inclusive finance.

"Driven by large technology companies, China’s mobile payment is developing rapidly, with a penetration rate currently reaching 86%," Yi Gang introduced at a Bank for International Settlements (BIS) conference on regulating large technology companies. The rate for China’s mobile and online payments is no more than 0.6%, and users can enjoy customized financial products when using electronic payment tools for collection. Moreover, with the empowerment of digital technology, the entire credit process, including approval and risk control, can be digitized and online, reducing dependence on collateral, effectively meeting the financing needs of small and micro enterprises for "small, frequent, urgent" funds.

In the picture, consumers are making payments by scanning codes at a convenience market in Handan City, Hebei Province. Photo by Wang Xiao, Xinhua News Agency

However, in Yi Gang’s view, the continuous development of financial technology also brings new challenges to regulation. Some platform companies engage in financial activities without a license or beyond their requirements, providing financial services such as wealth management, credit, and insurance under the same platform, amplifying the possibility of cross-product and cross-market risk transmission. Some platform companies have payment services with violations, investing clients’ reserve funds, which have sedimented, in multiple financial assets. Some companies embed credit businesses like "Huabei" and "Jiebei" in payment routes, misleading consumers. Some platform companies promote unfair competition through monopolies, excessively collecting, and even abusing consumer information, threatening personal privacy and information security.

"Finance, as a licensed industry, must operate with a license," Yi Gang said, stating that to cope with the challenges, China continues to fix regulatory system weaknesses, gradually launching measures to promote the standardized, healthy, and sustainable development of the platform economy.

Yi Gang stated that the next step is to continue strengthening regulation in the payment domain, implementing sound regulation for financial holding companies.