A new study has highlighted that many people in the UK are not aware of the levels of sugar in soft drinks, and are significantly underestimating how much is in drinks thought to be healthy.
Researchers from Glasgow University surveyed over 2,000 people around the UK about how much sugar they thought was in a range of drinks. It was found that many people underestimated the amount of sugar in healthier beverages such as milkshakes, smoothies and some fruit juices, although many also overestimated the level of sugar in fizzy drinks.
In addition, it was suggested the people consume about 659g and 3,144 calories each week in non-alcoholic liquids, which is equivalent to nearly a quarter of the recommended daily calorie intake for women and about a fifth for men. The findings are of concer, especially as consuming too many sugary drinks is an important risk factor for a variety of health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Researcher Naveed Sattar commented “What you drink can be as damaging to the body as what you eat and there is no question that consuming too many sugar-sweetened drinks can greatly contribute to abdominal obesity and, therefore, increase your likelihood of developing health conditions such as type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
He added “This analysis confirms that many people are perhaps not aware of the high calorie levels in many commonly consumed drinks.”

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