Facts on Sugar Drink Consumption

diets • In 2011, beverage companies produced enough sugar drinks to provide an average of 45 gallons per American—or slightly more than nine 12-ounce cans a week.1 • Sugar drinks were the single-largest source of calories in the American diet in 2010, providing an average of about seven percent of total calories per person.2 • Sugar drinks accounted for 46 percent of all added sugars in the American diet in 2010.3 Sugar drinks significant in teens ’ diets • Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks were the top source of calories in teens ’ diets in 2006.4 • In 2013, 27 percent of teens drank one or more soda a day, 19.4 percent drank two or more, and 11.2 percent drank three or more.5 • From 2005 to 2008, American youth (ages 6-19) averaged 174 calories per day from sugar drinks—nearly nine percent of their daily calorie intake.6 • In 2008, five percent of children, 16 percent of adolescents, and 20 percent of young adults consumed more than 500 calories a day from sugar drinks—an amount equivalent to more than three 12-ounce cans.7 How much is too much? • A typical 12-ounce can of regular cola contains 9.5 teaspoons of added sugars; a 20-ounce bottle contains 15.8 teaspoons of sugars.8 • The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a maximum daily intake of six teaspoons of added sugars for women and nine teaspoons for men.9,10 • In 2008, teenage boys consumed an average of 273 calories a day from sugar drinks, nearly twice the recommended consumption of added sugars from all sources.11,12 Industry’s history of super-sizin