Health

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Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), such as sodas, juice, sports and energy drinks, and sweetened tea and coffee drinks, are the largest source of HFCS and added sugars in the American diet. A recent review published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology found on average we consume about 145 calories a day just from SSBs (about the amount in one can of Coke). That same study found strong evidence that having even just one serving of SSBs a day can directly increase the risk of weight gain, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

“Eating too much added sugar in general—whether from HFCS, honey, agave, table sugar or other sources—is bad for your health,” says Clarke. The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sugar intake to less than 10% of total daily calories. If you’re eating 2,000 calories a day, that would be 200 calories, or 50 grams (about 13 teaspoons), from sugar. But the American Heart Association (AHA) goes even further. It recommends women get no more than 24 grams (6 teaspoons) of added sugars a day and men no more than 36 grams (9 teaspoons). According to the AHA, Americans consume an average of 17 teaspoons (68 grams) a day.

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