Sugar and sugary drinks: what the research says
Nutrition
Key points
- Dietary Guidelines: added sugars below 10% of calories (under 50 g on a 2,000-calorie diet).
- Each daily serving of a sugary drink is linked to a 13% to 18% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
- In randomized trials, cutting sugar led to small weight loss and adding sugar to weight gain.
- The best swaps are water, unsweetened tea, or sparkling water with lemon or berries.
Why drinks matter most
Sugar in liquid form does not make you feel full, so it is easy to drink a lot of calories without noticing. One 12-ounce can of regular soda contains about 39 g of sugar, more than the American Heart Association’s daily limit for women (25 g) and men (36 g). Sugary drinks are the single largest source of added sugar in the U.S. diet.
What the research shows
Type 2 diabetes. A meta-analysis of prospective studies found that people who drank 1 to 2 servings of sugary drinks a day had a 26% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those who drank them less than once a month (Malik et al., 2010).
A later meta-analysis estimated that each daily serving of a sugar-sweetened drink was linked to an 18% higher risk of diabetes, or 13% after accounting for body weight. For fruit juice the association was weaker, about 7% (Imamura et al., 2015).
Weight. A review for the WHO found that in randomized trials, reducing sugar intake led to small weight loss (about 0.8 kg, or 1.8 lb), and increasing it to weight gain (about 0.75 kg), mainly through changes in total calories (Te Morenga et al., 2013).
How much sugar is in common drinks
| Drink | Sugar (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Cola, 12 oz can | 39 g |
| Sweet tea, 20 oz bottle | 45–60 g |
| Orange juice, 8 oz | 21 g |
| Energy drink, 16 oz | 50–55 g |
| Flavored coffee drink, 16 oz | 35–50 g |
| Sports drink, 20 oz | 34 g |
How to cut back
- Keep water in sight: a bottle on your desk, a pitcher in the fridge.
- Flavor your water with lemon, mint, cucumber or berries; try unsweetened sparkling water.
- Order coffee and tea unsweetened, or cut the sugar gradually.
- Do not keep sugary drinks at home.
- Check the “Added Sugars” line on the Nutrition Facts label.
Frequently asked questions
Is fresh-squeezed juice healthy?
Juice contains a lot of natural sugar and little fiber. Whole fruit is better. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises limiting juice for children, and adults are better off with a small glass at most.
Are diet sodas safe?
They contain no sugar, but evidence on long-term effects is mixed. Water is the best everyday drink.
Sources
- Malik et al. (2010). Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 33(11):2477-2483. doi:10.2337/dc10-1079
- Imamura et al. (2015). Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and fruit juice and incidence of type 2 diabetes: systematic review, meta-analysis, and estimation of population attributable fraction. BMJ :h3576. doi:10.1136/bmj.h3576
- Te Morenga et al. (2012). Dietary sugars and body weight: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and cohort studies. BMJ 346(jan15 3):e7492-e7492. doi:10.1136/bmj.e7492
- American Heart Association. Added Sugars. www.heart.org
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Nutrition tools
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The PREDIMED trial screener (13 questions; we deliberately removed the wine item).
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A 7-day planner with plate-method prompts and space for your grocery list.
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A grocery checklist by food group, with blank lines for your own items.
PDF · Cheat sheetCheat sheet: read a Nutrition Facts label in one minute
A wallet or fridge card with % Daily Value rules and what to look for.