Over the last decade, sugar has practically become a number one public health enemy. Studies have linked excessive added sugar consumption with a wide range of health problems, including cavities and obesity. It is also linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Unfortunately, the typical American diet is laden with sugar. Daily sugar intake should be limited to 6 teaspoons (or 100 calories) for women. For men, it should be limited to 9 teaspoons (or 150 calories). Nevertheless, the average American adult consumes about 17 teaspoons of sugar each day, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

Most Americans get their excess sugar not from teaspoons, yet, but from processed foods. Added sugar is common in many processed foods. It helps preserve foods. It also improves the texture, color, and browning capabilities.

One reason sugar is used in processed foods is flavor. Fat adds flavor to foods. When food manufacturers produce reduced-fat foods, they increase the amount of sugar and/or salt. This compensates for the loss of flavor. We need to reduce this consumption.

Processed food isn’t the only problem. Processed beverages like juices, sodas, and sports drinks are very high in sugar. They have been linked to accelerated brain aging, liver disease and cancer in women.

Researchers at Tufts University assessed data collected between 1980 and 2018 from the Global Dietary Database consortium. They discovered that overindulgence in sugar-sweetened beverages significantly contributes to millions of heart disease cases worldwide. It also contributes to type 2 diabetes cases. This is according to a study published in Nature Medicine.

The researchers also pointed out that many sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily marketed in lower and middle economic areas. This is particularly troubling because those areas are less equipped to handle health issues. Most supermarket aisles are stocked with a wide range of sugar-sweetened beverages. Coffee house menus usually include items that have days’ worth of sugar in them. And some varieties of smoothies from retail smoothie bars are sugar bombs.        

Why Are Sugary Beverages So Unhealthy?

Researchers defined sugar-sweetened drinks as any beverage with 50 or more calories of added sugars. Sugar-sweetened drinks can be manufactured or homemade. They can include soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, punch, lemonade, and aguas frescas. They excluded 100 percent fruit and/or vegetable juices, non-caloric artificially sweetened drinks and sweetened milk. Sugar-sweetened drinks are harmful because they are:

• High in calories, contributing to weight gain
• High sugar. Based on AHA recommendations, these drinks have at least 50 percent of the daily recommended intake of sugar for women. They offer 30 percent for men. This raises the risk for various health issues. 
• Low in nutrients. Soda and energy drinks aren’t nutritious. Juices aren’t either, as the juicing process destroys the fiber in fruits in vegetables, stripping them of fiber and nutrients. Low-fiber foods and beverages leave you susceptible to overeating.
• Rapidly digested. Liquids are digested quicker than food. This makes liquid sugar more problematic than solid sugar. It can spike blood sugar levels and trigger hunger when blood sugar levels crash.

Drink healthier drinks, less sugar and keep hydrated.  

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