Added sugars are found in common beverages like soda that lack nutritional value. When consumed in excess, added sugars can contribute to weight gain and lead to chronic disease. The U. Department of Health and Human Services DHHS reports that the average American consumes roughly 17 teaspoons of added sugar every day, a substantial amount of which comes from soda consumption.
Learn more about how much sugar is in soda and other popular drinks, the health risks associated with consuming too much, plus tips to cut back on your intake. The amount of added sugar you can safely consume varies based on your biological sex, age, and weight. Added sugar is often hiding in single servings of sodas and other sweetened drinks, meeting and sometimes exceeding the recommended daily intake for Americans. Most of the calories in these beverages are " empty ," meaning they provide little to no nutritional value.
Even the potential benefits of certain drinks—such as the vitamins in fruit juice or the urinary tract health benefits of cranberry juice—are minimized by their excessively high sugar content. The table below illustrates how much sugar is found in a ounce serving of common beverages, which may be smaller than many people consume. Sugar is a nuanced ingredient and not all types of sugar are inherently unhealthy.
There are two different types of sugar:. The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that naturally occurring sugars like fructose and glucose found in fruit, dairy, and certain vegetables offer beneficial, energy-boosting carbohydrates. However, the organization adds that the body interprets naturally occurring sugars and added sugars as the same, which can cause weight gain.
Most added sugars and nonnutritive sugars, or "high-intensity sweeteners" contain no nutritional benefits and pose a number of health risks. Added sugars are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association AHA recommends that women consume no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day approx.
The AHA also advises that children ages 2—18 should have less than 6 teaspoons per day. For context, a healthy diet consisting of 2, calories a day for weight management would allow up to calories of added sugars per day, according to current USDA guidelines. These recommendations don't apply to sugars that naturally occur in foods, including fructose in fruits.
Added sugars come in many different forms, so it's important to know how to identify them. From high-fructose corn syrup to dextrose, fructose, and sucrose, be sure to read the Nutrition Facts labels carefully and look for the names of hidden added sugars.
There are 4 calories in 1 gram of sugar. Diet soft drinks usually contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and contain zero calories. However, diet sodas are made from chemicals that have no nutritional value. Diet sodas are a lower-calorie option than regular sodas, but drinking diet soda in excess is not a healthy option either. Like all sodas, they should only be consumed in moderation. Drinking the occasional sugary soda won't likely pose a major problem to your health so long as you're maintaining a healthy, balanced diet.
According to the study above, because liquid carbohydrates, like sugar, aren't filling like solid foods, regularly drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can lead to increased calorie and more sugar intake over the long-term. Another study published in Behavioural Brain Research in found that liquid sugar, specifically, can increase inflammation and may cause memory problems. Aside from the notable health problems associated with increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, it's important to note that coke and other sodas offer no nutritional value.
The only ingredients include:. There are no vitamins, minerals, protein or healthy fats. A can of coke contributes only 39 grams of carbohydrates, all from added sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup, and empty calories.
In addition to providing a large dose of sugar, it offers no health benefits at all. Your body doesn't need any added sugar to function, yet most Americans consume more sugar than is currently recommended to stay healthy. That's around 55 pounds per year! Diabetes Care notes that consumption of sugar has increased by percent since the s.
The American Heart Association currently recommends that women take in no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar daily, while men should limit their intake to less than 9 teaspoons per day. Keep in mind, this number is an upper limit. That means this is the absolute highest amount you should be consuming, but the lower the better. To put it into a calorie perspective, a teaspoon of sugar contains about 16 calories, which means you'd get 96 extra calories from 6 teaspoons of sugar and empty calories from consuming 9 teaspoons of the sweet stuff.
It isn't just coke and other sodas that's the problem, though. This tends to be popular with people who find normal Coke just a little too sweet. Some people believe the two products have different target audiences, too. Many think Diet Coke — which launched in the s — typically has a more female cult following, whereas others believe Coke Zero — which opts for a more masculine, darker packaging — is aimed at men.
Fun facts for kids Non-chocolate advent calendars Royal news. Home Food. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Of course that's no secret, as the soda's sugar content is on every can, bottle, as well as on the company's website. According to Coca-Cola , one ounce can of classic Coke contains 39 grams of sugar, while a Cherry Coke has 42 grams.
At first glance this doesn't seem like much, except that sugar makes up almost all of the calories contained in a can of Coke. And when you look at Coke's sugar content compared to an adult's daily recommended sugar intake, it becomes clear just how much sugar really is in a can of Coke.
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