The Most Sugar Filled Drinks

Added sugars are the bane of our modern diet – and drinking sugar is arguably the easiest way to over-indulge.

Despite Coke’s new campaign saying they’re helping fight obesity, beverages can rack up the calories quickly.

What are the most sugary drinks?

Hype

i-44cff4db7e363200a2a0c293c56a69b9-hype.jpg
Per 8oz: 64 grams
Per 8.45oz / 250ml can: 67.5

Hype is an energy drink that is known for it’s “cotton candy” taste. That’s because it has an impressive amount of sugar in it.
Sources: 1

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McDonalds Frappe’ Mocha

Per 8oz: 41 grams
Per 12oz cup: 62 grams

Sources: 1

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Minute Maid Cranberry Grape

Per 8oz: 38 grams
15.2oz bottle: 72.2 grams

Note: “25% Fruit Juice”. Also – Cranberry drinks often have a lot of added sugar because cranberry is a very bitter fruit.
Sources: 1

rockstar-punched

Rockstar Punched Guava

Per 8oz: 37 grams
Per 16oz can 74 grams

Not only does Guava have 74 grams of sugar per can, but they also add artificial sweeteners for an even sweeter taste! This one definitely so sweet that it makes your teeth hurt.

i-6b46162d6e47cde355a4a204df300d3d-tropicana-twister.jpg

Tropicana Twister Soda – Orange

Per 8oz: 35 grams
Per 20oz bottle: 87.5 grams
Sources: 1

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Sunkist Orange Soda

Per 8oz: 35 grams
Per 12oz can: 52 grams
Per 20oz bottle: 87.5 grams
Sources: 1

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Fanta Orange

Per 8oz: 34.3 grams
Per 12oz can: 51.5 grams
Per 20oz bottle: 85.8 grams
Sources: 1, 2

newmans-own-limeade

Newman’s Own Limeade

Per 8oz: 34 grams
Per 16oz: 68 grams

This drink may not have any high fructose corn syrup, but still produces a huge blood sugar spike.

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Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha Frappacino

Per 8oz: 33 grams
Per 16oz cup: 66 grams

Sources: 1

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Sun Drop

Per 8oz: 30 grams
Per 20oz bottle: 75 grams

Sources: 1

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Sobe Adrenaline Rush

Per 8oz: 33 grams
Per 8.3oz can: 35 grams
Per 16oz bottle: 66 grams
Sources: 1

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Mountain Dew

Per 8oz: 31 grams
Per 12oz can: 47 grams

Sources: 1

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RockStar

Per 8oz: 30 grams
Per 16oz can: 60 grams

Sources: sugar in drinks database.

142 Comments

Comments now closed
  1. Amanda

    I am drinking a gold peak tea that has 54g of sugar. I had no idea….

  2. Jimbo

    I drank red bull and died. 3 to 4 days period, do not drink I repeat pls
    my son george drank 1 can of redbull and he became retarded with cerebral palsey and now i have to wipe his ass for him!

  3. Ligma

    Is red bull bad for u when ur on a diet or can u have one like every 3-4 days ??

  4. Jennie

    I am a doctor and if you drink any of these everyday you get diabetes.

    • Unknown

      Actually I don’t want to be rude but drinking soda everyday does not give you diabetes. Diabetes is where your pancreas runs out of insulin and can not produce anymore. Now that is type one, type 2 is different, type two is caused by the lack of insulin in your pancreas, Type 2 diabetes develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin or when the pancreas stops producing enough insulin. Exactly why this happens is unknown, although genetics and environmental factors, such as excess weight and inactivity, seem to be contributing factors.
      Now I am 11 years old.

      • unknown

        sorry to burst your bubble but you actually can get diabetes if you drink one of these everyday because the amount of caffeine in these drinks reduces your insulin sensitivity which can lead to type 2 diabetes.
        now i am 15 years old

  5. Unknown

    Why isn’t Diet Coke or coco cola light in this.

  6. Josie

    Just drink water *says as she takes a sip of sprite*

  7. kashaf

    terrible

  8. Seema?

    yooooo im a nurse. named seema. how much sugar is in fat free milk?

  9. John

    with stabilized blood sugar your body burns more fat

  10. John

    Drink water

  11. John

    Theses drinks spike your insulin way up nt a smart choice.further more sugar is processed and a bad source of carbohydrate that quickly Jack’s your insulin up and your body stores it in your muscle tissues and liver.causeing weight gain,and possible diabetes.

  12. Keri Grayson

    Dude someone literally needs to put Fanta ? in there list because one 16 ounce bottle contains 300 calories and 80 grams of sugar they need to get correct facts and know their info and know it is correct

  13. Tim Miltz

    Fanta Grape should be #2 at 46 grams of sugar.

  14. Gunnar Pearson

    what about Arizona Ice Teas? that’s about 80 grams of sugar in a liter can. That is insanity!

  15. belly

    boi stop you are bad

  16. boi67889

    why? idc i am still drinking it

  17. Sekuru Vury

    So what yo suggestion for a better cooldrink wthout all those healthy risks anyway.

  18. Aiden Wilton

    i believe that the hype drink is the mos sugary

  19. I do not wan't to give it out

    Some of these are believable, but i doubt Starbucks frappuccinos are on this list. They are unhealthy, but they shouldn’t be in the to list

  20. Jim CallzUout

    Sun Drop
    NUTRITION FACTS
    SERVING SIZE: 20 FL OZ
    SUGAR 75 G

    The source you linked has contradictory information…

    • Ted

      Thanks, it looks like the drink was reformulated since this was posted. I’ve updated it above.

  21. Ryan

    Kool Aid?

    • Ted

      That would depend on how much sugar you mix with it. One serving of the prepared version is 18 grams/ 8 ounces so doesn’t really make the list as most sugar filled.

  22. Luke

    Polar Orange Dry, not dry on sugar at 49g per 12oz…

  23. read this

    Rockstar Punched Guava kills anything…..

    • Ted

      you’re right. We’ll add that one for sure.

  24. Agnessa

    Its better if you just not eat or drink anything except water after 6

  25. Hugh G. Rekshon

    Addiction to sugar and caffeine KILLS!

  26. Hugh G. Rekshon

    Hahaha! I used to add 2 cups of sugar to a 2 quart pitcher of Kool-aid!

  27. Blah

    This list is totally wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  28. kemetrice

    This was very interesting to know, I didnt know how much sugar can be in some of my favorite drinks. Now I know to avoid drinking so much soda. Its not healthy at all and now that I know pounds and pounds of sugar are used in many drinks, and we wouldnt know at all, because its sooooooooo good, but now ive tallied it down and ill stick to gatorade and water. 🙂 bye bye

    • Emily

      Don’t drink Gatorade unless you are a professional athlete! It can be worse than these sodas.

  29. sugarpost

    grapico has 50 grams of sugar

  30. Rog

    Lucie sounds like a bigot concerning Southerners even if she does have one friend from the region. Anyone who thinks frying vegetables and using 3 teaspoons of sugar for a 12 oz. glass of ice tea is the Southerner’s way of life has been misled by inaccurate stereotyping. I have lived in Texas and Mississippi as well as NYC and San Jose and there are some differences in cuisine but not much.

    If you think the manner of cooking makes that dramatic a difference, spend some time in France. I would sum up the French method of food preparation with the phrase, “just add butter and sugar to taste.”

  31. becca

    thax im doing my sciene project on this!!!!:)

  32. noor m

    i m keen interested to know your comments regarding the use of soft drinks that causing lot of gain in weight,also give few tips to reduce weight without loosing energy to carryout the daily routine work,without getting lazy,

    thanks a lot in advance,

    your sincerely,

    NOOR M,SOLANGI,
    KARACHI,PAKISTAN,

  33. therat

    so? If someone likes to drink sugar filled soda pop let them it’s their god given right. I drink nothing but Code Red mountain dew and I’m in excellent health. Never been to a doctor in my life, maintain a healthy weight, rarely get sick, don’t have diabetes, and still have most of my teeth in tact, I have 2 that need fillings but other than that no ill effects.

    I don’t buy all the sugar is bad for you hype. People who get fat have a lot more wrong with their diet than too much sugar. There is this thing called exorcise and if you exorcise you and drink lots of water to balance things out you can still enjoy all the soda your heart desires and stay healthy.

    I mean yeah if you drink too much sugary sodas and don’t get any water, don’t exorcise and don’t right otherwise then yeah your bound to develop health problems but out of all the members of my family I am the healthiest and like I drink 3 to 5 20oz Code Reds a day. But I also work a physical job and usually don’t eat a lot of junk food either.

  34. Charlie Kim

    wow…..Hype is riduculously crazy. i did the math and 1 oz. there is like around 8 grams of sugar, so in a regular 12oz can there is around 23 tea-spoon which is around 92 grams of sugar

  35. stephen

    i like these drinks because i do alot of muay thai kickboxing and mma and i need sugar after my workout 🙂

    • Ben

      No you don’t, that is so stupid. Have a banana. These drinks are full of processed sugar and you need natural sugar. So things like enenrgy drinks and nurishments are just a gimmick. Anyway the best thing after a workout is to get some protein down you with in 30mins of finishing

      Kickboxing 6 years
      Muaythai 1 year (in Thailand)
      BJJ 1 year

  36. Ifeoma

    well i never new there are so many drinks with sugar.I only now about fanta been sugary

  37. Missy M.

    Try chiropractic for your migraines, and for me to get rid of Mt. Dew, the only thing that worked, was someone suggested before each can I “craved” that I drink a 10 oz. glass of water first. At first, I still craved the Mt. Dew after the glass of water, but within a few weeks, I began not “needing” the pop after the water. It was explained to me that I was finally beginning to re-hydrate my body and break the caffeine/sugar addiction my cells had. Then I began craving water, it was much easier than when I tried to quit cold turkey…BAD HEADACHES that way! This way was so much easier!

  38. Lorna

    I dont care what is in mountain dew i still love it!!!

  39. hey

    hey, my kids are healthy eaters and i don’t intend them on eating sweets i think that the school canteen strategies are great

    sara

  40. hannah

    Yeah i agree. I mean kids all around the world don’t really care.

  41. roxy

    well we don’t really need to do maths, i mean kids like me only care about the quality not quantity. besides, i’m very skinny but not anorexic or underweight and i’ve eaten sweets my whole life. Some people’s bodies are happy with sweets and sugar.

    Roxy

    • Ash

      that is sooooooo true.

  42. Unhealthy?

    I hate to admit it, but I do like to drink at least a can of cola and another can of some coconut drink per day. I’ll try to change now… I am quite embarrassed of it actually. I hate to think about that fact too. Sadly, yeah, I am a kid. So… perhaps I should just start changing – I don’t want problems when I grow up

  43. Mouse

    Forgot A&W Float, 63grams of sugar in a 11.5oz bottle, which would be equivalent to 43.8 grams in a 8oz container.

  44. Real Estate Facts - Real Estate Book

    toni is exactly saying right… sudden drop in caffeine is not gud

  45. davesworkout

    Yep, the caffeine actually has the safe effect on your brain as drugs such as cocaine and heroin, effecting your dopamine receptors. Scary!

    A lot of the “energy” drinks are ridiculously high in both sugar and caffeine, some having 200+mg of caffeine, and the nations children are sucking these things down before gym class in middle school! Scary scary scary.

  46. darrel tarver

    If you let the Sunkist orange soda evaporate, would you have the same amount of sugar remaining in the container? If not, where did the rest of the sugar go?

  47. Fitness_Fanatic

    Fortunately, I ditched full-sugar sodas 10 years ago.

  48. Lauren Lee

    But the sound of the fact that Mountain dew has so much sugar is just so crazy beacause I did not know it would have so much grams of sugar to begin with because I drink alot of soda so apparently I have stoped to drink alot of soda.So tell your kids stop drinking soda or they will gain weight.And ask yourself what would JESUS do? Or maybe this would help “Be Quiet grandma drink your prune juice!” Because that helps me ya’know what I am saying homey! So if you want to get healthy eat NUTRI. bars and lotsof milk!Like Napoleon would say”WHATEVER!”
    By:Lauren Lee

  49. Lauren Lee

    I can not believe that mountain dew has the most sugar its just so suprising because I thought it would be coke so it just blows my mind of

  50. James

    omg. that’s a lot. just from a drink..

  51. carsonnik

    I haven’t had even a sip of soda in 6 months and I don’t plan on having one anytime soon

  52. thebaldchemist

    It is really frightening. When I was a kid we were told its good for you -you need 2500 calories a day and sugar will give ’em to you.
    Then, just recently I read that sugar is a poison! It takes the vitamins and minerals calcium in particular to help the body get rid of it.I’m sure the arguments for are the same as the tobacco industry. No-one was ever ill from sugar-Yeh. Sure. Diabetes ain’t sugar related either.
    Thanks for these warnings. Now its time to get rid of the MacDonalds myths. Half the population obese and sick from this crap. Well done http://www.thebaldchemist.com

  53. CatBlue

    I am rather surprised to read the comments here touting the safety of HFCS and artificial sugars. Admittedly, everyone is different and some people will be more sensitive to additives than others. I can certainly attest to their affect on me.

    I am a runner and I enjoy a nice whole wheat waffle or pancake every now and then. I experienced a huge difference in energy when I switched from regular table “syrup” on my waffle to real maple syrup. Most pancake and waffle syrups sold in grocery stores have corn syrup and HFCS. I would often feel incredibly sleepy 20 minutes after eating, or still hungry. When I use real maple syrup I don’t have that reaction.

    With regard to artificial sugars like saccharine, aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol, etc. alas, I have had bad experiences with those as well. Even a small amount of sugar alcohols (sorbitol, maltitol and the like) give me unbelievably unpleasant GI distress. Last summer after a run I stopped by my local road runners club to sign up for a race that weekend. They had a table with a large jug of ice-cold Amino Vital and they were offering samples. It was a very hot day and I had just finished a hilly, sweaty 6-miler so I thought sure, let me replace what electrolytes I’ve just lost. It was cold and crisp, felt great going down. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to me Amino Vital contains maltitol. I spent the rest of the afternoon at work in total discomfort. I had stomach cramps, passed gas, had a visibly distended stomach and I only drank two small cups of the stuff!

    Most recently I realized I was having problems with Propel Fitness water. I drink water primarily and the only fruit juice I can abide is unsweetened grapefruit or cranberry because everything else tastes too sweet to me. (R.W. Knudsen’s Just Cranberry is my favorite. I know that is probably really too tart for most people, but I like things tart. I ate lemons as a kid the way some people eat oranges! But I digress.) I tried Propel because I thought it would be a nice change during my workouts and because it came out with a light Orange flavor that contained calcium. Well, the effect it had on me was rather frightening. Less than an hour after drinking it during my workouts I would start experiencing ill effects, which at first I didn’t connect with Propel. I would be sitting on the bench in the locker room, perfectly relaxed after a nice shower, and my heart would suddenly race like Seabiscuit. No joke; I had heart palpitations that made me put my hand on my chest in terror and I would have trouble breathing for a few seconds. When I used it during my run I again experienced the heart flutters and a sense of dizziness that I had never felt before; not even on hard runs in the heat and humidity. Other less scary (but no less annoying) side effects were stomach/GI discomfort and the odd sensation of having an UTI (an irritation and feeling like I needed to go the bathroom when I didn’t). Time coupled with drinking just water would always make the problems disappear, so one day I actually took a look at the ingredients on Propel and saw sucralose. At the time I was not familiar with the name; I did not know that it was Splenda. I researched it and came across several sites which listed adverse reactions to sucralose, including all the ones I experienced and even worse. I stopped drinking Propel immediately and I haven’t had a problem since.

    As aforementioned, some people are more sensitive than others to chemically engineered sugars like sucralose and I guess I am one of them. I can only suggest that people really pay attention to their bodies (how you feel when you eat and drink certain things), scrutinize the labels on your food and drinks, and err on the side of caution.

  54. Different Nic

    Source please.

    Jim Tippie said:
    Aspartame has been linked with altzheimers disease, therefore I presume sugar in moderation would be less harmful, moderation being the key. […]

  55. Jim Tippie

    Aspartame has been linked with altzheimers disease, therefore I presume sugar in moderation would be less harmful, moderation being the key.

  56. Tony Frank

    Would it not be a kick in the seat of our pants if it were learned that abuse of sugar disrupts the entire endocrine system and not just the pancreas. That large numbers of people are suffering addictive behaviors and emotional disruptions simply because the abuse of sugar prevented their bodies from producing the endorphins needed to fend off depression. What is the word origin of melancholy? Is the word mel Latin for honey?

  57. Dee

    I drank tons of soda also not realizing how bad it was for my teeth and other side effects too now im going thru alot of dental work partly beacause of the soda is loaded with sugar I couldent give up soda completly so I tried coke zero its FANTASTIk tastes just like the regular one but i’m cutting back on sugar by more then 70% and watching my sugar intake very closely i’m drinking low cal teas and sodas water not for the calorie concerns for the sugar concerns but remeber everything in moderation is the key from someone who has smartened up!! P.S. also if you have teeth concerns like me watch the acid intake too citrus drinks and soda P.S. splenda is fantastic too tastes great!

  58. Nurse

    mo pie said:
    And that’s why you have to drink unsweetened cranberry juice if you have a UTI. Because the sugar is bad for your UTI.

    Sorry, cranberry juice does not cure a UTI. It’s to help prevent a UTI and clear your system. Just FYI.. Still a good tip to drink it though!

  59. ELouise

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/phenylalanine/AN01552

    Also read this article re: phenylalanine…it’s SAFE TO CONSUME…unless you’d like to argue with medical professionals from the MAYO CLINIC!!!

  60. ELouise

    http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

    Diet soda is perfectly safe to consume. Stop believing everything you hear!

  61. Jan

    Different Nic said:
    Did you seriously just say “wala”?[…]

    When I first read it, I thought, “what the heck kind of drink is ‘wala’?” I only got it when you mentioned it.

  62. TC

    I have noticed when I drink very sugary drinks they never satisfy me. Sugar can be dehydrating. And to think, some people drink packs of this stuff a day!

    As for cranberry juice. I like Northland. It contains no high fructose corn syrup. They sweeten it with apple juice and it is very good. Ocean Spray has also come out with a line of cranberry juices with no sugar or artificial sugar added. Both of these cranberry juices can be found in just about any grocery store. (Publix, etc) However, they do contain a lot of natural sugar, so I would drink them in moderation but they are probably a lot better than cranberry juices with added sugar.

  63. S Ellinger

    So, what ever happened to “Bolt”, twice the sugar,twice the caffine.

  64. Lesli

    any drink that has carbonation in it is bad. It causes dehydration and ionizes the blood. ALL artificial sweeteners are bad. Read the book “EXCITOTOXINS: The Taste That Kills” by Russell L. Blaylock. Equal (aspartame) is one of the most toxic artificial sweeteners out there. Splenda is right behind it. Of all the artificial sweeteners, saccarin aka: Sweet N Low, is the least toxic, but it is still not safe to consume. If you need sweeteners in your drinks, but don’t want calories and want something safe, try STEVIA. It is all natural and has no calories.

  65. Different Nic

    Did you seriously just say “wala”?

    I know, I know, this isn’t Grammar Blog”.

    Angie said:
    I am so glad that i never drank any of the drinks mentioned, the only one i did drink once was sunkist cause i wanted to see what the big thing about it was, and it was nothing. At one time for 1 year i stopped drinking soda altogether, and drank nothing but water and wala, i lost over 10 pounds maybe a little more. Drink Healthy live longer love l[…]

  66. SHER

    SODA, JUICE, AND DIET SODA IS BAD: WATER, GREEN TEA, ORGANIC MILK, OR GOOD BOTTLE OF VINO ROSSO IS GOOD.

  67. syl

    The diet products and drinks especially have harmful chemicals,so why do people avoid talking about them. diet pop is the worst thing to drink and decaf coffee.

  68. Anonymous

    I quit drinking diet drinks over five years ago. I now only drink water, Fruit 20 and Crystal Light and that is it!

  69. vicky

    So, does anybody have any idea how much sugar McD’s sweet tea has in it? I stay away from soda but think i am getting hooked on these. Somebody told me once some unbelievable amount, like a pound for a couple of gallons, but if that were true it would be too syrupy to drink. If anybody knows please email me at vmk0407@aol.com

  70. Sandra deRive

    All this info seems to coincide with the statistics that we Americans are getting sicker from our habits of over-abundance of sugar, chemicals, fats in our foods and drinks. We keep hearing about the rise in diabetes, cancer, ADHD, autism, etc, etc. It is time for all of us to wake up and go to natural and organic products, and let the corporate giants know that we are aware of what they are doing to us and put the pressure on them. Their love of money is making us sick, but we DO HAVE A CHOICE, so speak up and let them know we will no longer give them their almighty dollar at the cost of our health. So squosh your own lemons and make lemonade yourself, or put your own sugar in your iced tea, make your own shakes at home or juice your own fruit. You are at their mercy drinking what they put in your food and drinks! Do the Amish kids have all these problems? Probably not, but I have not seen any studies on them. Marilu Henner, actress, said sugar is “kiddie cocaine.” Thanks for reading my blog.

  71. Shayna Epstein

    yes we all no how bad these drinks are and how much sugar is in them.I have a three year old and i dont allow him to drown his body with these drinks.on the other hand i enjoy starbucks and soda almost everyday and im 5″7 and 130 pounds.those are the only empty calories i allow in my system.so it shouldnt matter whats on the label as much as the responsibility of the person who is buying these things.just like cigarettes and booze its not the product its the people who chose use these products and how they use them.

  72. Angie

    oh i also heard that diet sodas are worse for u than regualar soda. so u figure it out. allllll sugar even the fake sugar will kill ya

  73. Angie

    I am so glad that i never drank any of the drinks mentioned, the only one i did drink once was sunkist cause i wanted to see what the big thing about it was, and it was nothing. At one time for 1 year i stopped drinking soda altogether, and drank nothing but water and wala, i lost over 10 pounds maybe a little more. Drink Healthy live longer love longer……………….

  74. Rene Vorilas

    I am still drinking orange soda because I love it. Even though it has the most, I still love it

  75. Angie

    Anal leakage is when undigestible liquids or dissolved food products “leak” out of the anus. That was the problem with Olean. I’m pretty sure it can happen with natural liquid undigestibles too. I mean, that’s what happens with solid undigestibles, lol!

  76. Bralee

    on oprah she had her doctor on there one day and he said that over time artificial sweeteners cause anal leakage and that regular sugar is better for us because its natural.im not sure what anal leakage is but im sure i dont want any of that going on.

  77. KayB

    I bought some Lipton Green Tea, thinking it would be a good alternative, and I was shocked. One 16.9fl.oz bottle
    (the same size as a bottle of water) has, according to the label, 21g of sugar PER serving and supposedly there are two servings per bottle….that is 42g!! Who drinks only half a bottle!!?? Needless to say, I’m sticking to my water.

  78. Marlene

    Soda is not the only place you find outrageous amounts of sugar. A big gooey piece of carrot cake with icing can easily also have 20 teaspoons. And an analysis I did of Emeril’s famous Banana Cream Pie clocked in at over 1000 calories and 105 grams of carb ~ most from sugar!
    My clients try to cut back and when they really need the sweet thing use sugar subs.

    Marlene Koch RD and author of low-sugar cookbooks
    http://www.marlenekoch.com

  79. Martin

    I drink neither regular sodas or diet sodas. Water , and, admttedly, wine are my beverages of choice, but oh my G-d! Those stats are amazing. No wonder we have so many hyper kids and crazy cavity-filled adults.

  80. anne

    Laura, clinical laboratory work was my profession for over 30 years. I have never seen artificial sweeteners cause an elevated bilirubin test. In my laboratory we used to test ourselves frequently for all sorts of things. There were several HEAVY diet soda drinkers in the group and none of them EVER had an elevated bilirubin test. A “high level of toxicity” revealed by a blood test is NOT something that “almost everybody has” as your Dr stated. SMALL elevations can sometimes mean nothing, but a high elevation is something else. If you really had a high level showing, I don’t believe it could have been from artificial sweeteners. The laboratory could have made an error (it does happen unfortunately) or maybe someone used the wrong description for your result. Laboratory results also fluctuate just by the nature of the way the tests are done. The exact same blood sample can give different results on different runs. But they usually are in the same range. You could have had a result that was slightly elevated that on a second run might have shown a high normal result.

    Also maybe your body reacts different from the norm to artificial sweetener. If you really changed nothing else in your life (alcohol, etc, consumption for example) then I would question the accuracy of that blood test if in fact it showed a “high level of toxicity”. From my experience in testing my lab cohorts, those who had been partying heavy would sometimes show elevated bilirubin tests (they were not the heavy diet soda drinkers). Please don’t think that I’m assuming that’s what you were doing. I’m just trying to give as much info as possible.

    Thanks for the info on unsweetened cranberry juice. I figured it wouldn’t taste very good, but I would add Splenda (toxicity issue aside) to it. Believe it or not, I like to eat raw cranberries and would do that if I could find them all year long.

  81. anne

    Thanks ex-caffadict. We don’t have sav-a-center where I am but I can check the heath food stores. I have already checked the normal grocery stores. A couple of years ago recurring UTI’s are what got me started on drinking primarily water. I was practicallly living on antibiotics. Of course one of the Dr’s recommendations was to drink cranberry juice, but because of the calories I didn’t do it. He also said I needed to empty my bladder at least every 2 hrs and to drink at least 2 qts water/day. With that much water, I didn’t have room for much else. So I got used to nothing but water and am quite happy with that now.

    Bralee….caffeine withdrawal absolutely causes headaches. Many years ago I used to drink coffee regularly, but only 1 cup per day. When I stopped drinking it, I absolutely had the headaches. I had been warned by a friend that the headaches would come, but that they would pass in time and they did. Since I got those headaches even though I was only a 1 cup/day person, I can imagine what you must have had.

  82. Gerry

    Oops. Here’s the link I left out:

    http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionandweightloss/splenda.asp

  83. Gerry

    The Faddist said:
    Graham,[
    Spare us the rhetoric. We’ve already had the “diet soda will give you cancer” discussion a few threads back and your side didn’t fare so well because… well, because there’s no facts behind your side.

    Sugar isn’t inherently evil, and aspartame has no ill effects. The “greedy” big businesses don’t want you sick or dead, they want you alive so you can buy more of their product so they can make more money. That’s a side of corporate greed you seldom hear about.]

    Um, like the cigarette companies want us alive; in other words, to the extent that we can buy their products, of course. I agree that there is no evidence that saccharine causes cancer in people, but aspertame does cause problems in sufficient amounts. It certainly did in me! I recommend reading this article, especially the part titled “Dangers in Aspertame” half way down the page. Personally, I prefer Splenda (Sucralose) or plain old saccharine (Sweet n’ Low). And one regular soft drink a day can add 10 pounds a year to your weight according to studies. Multiply that by whatever.

  84. Laura

    Unsweetened cranberry juice: I find it at Mother’s Market (in California) and at Whole Foods (nationwide).
    It doesn’t taste very good, which just goes to show how much sugar is in the other kind.

  85. Laura

    Regarding the dangers of artificial sweeteners:
    No data? Not true! I was a guinnea pig. I used to eat some form of artifical sweetener on a daily basis back in 2003 (although not in a drink)
    Then, I had routine blood tests that revealed a high levels of toxicity in my liver. My doctor said, “No problem, almost everyone has that, even I do.”
    I didn’t buy it. I went off artificial sweeteners. It was the ONLY change I made. Three months later, I had new blood tests and my “bilirubin” was completely normal. Artificial sweeteners are TOXIC.

  86. ex-caffaddict

    Anne- I was in sav-a-center the other day and I found a rather large bottle of cranberry juice concentrate(it was oceanspray brand), but it said 100% all natural unsweetened cranberry juice.It was almost six dollars for the bottle. I believe I saw it in an health food store a couple of months ago too, not sure which one though.

  87. ex-caffaddict

    Bralee, I was truly addicted to caffiene two years ago. I would have a Dr.Pepper during lunch,dinner,a snack,and in the middle of the night sometimes twice. If I went a few hours withou it I would crave it so bad that when I would finally drink it, each end of my mouth would uncontrollably turn downwards for a few seconds. Over one year I went from 130 to 155lbs and my kidneys began to hurt. I was never a big eater nor a sweet eater so I knew that it was the sodas. It was hard but I had to phase out the sodas by drinking diet(which gave me headaches)then I eased to flavor water,and now plain water and I only drink flavor water with my dinner. Now I am 133lbs after a year away from sodas. I suggest that you phase the Dew gradually out of your daily consumption.

  88. anne

    Amanda said:
    Er, actually, according to the math, it would be around 20 teaspoons[…]
    Then Jim said:
    I’m sorry 🙁 Hard to believe that math was my best subject. Yet another late night post. Anyway – at least I know you’re reading it…

    Well, if the numbers given are correct (85.8 grams in a can & 4 grams in a teaspoon as stated), Then the original statement that there are almost 21.5 teaspoons of sugar in a 20oz bottle of Fanta seems correct. 85.8 divided by 4 = 21.45 in my book. But the difference between “around 20” and “almost 21.5” is minor anyway. The important part being that either of those amounts is way too much sugar. My main drink is water, no ice, sometimes with a twist of lemon. Besides that I have an occasional glass of red wine and a rare cup of coffee.

    Someone please tell me where I can find unsweetened cranberry juice.

  89. Eloise Zenger

    Being a type 2 diabetic I need to count carbs. I am supposed to have about 45 carbs per meal and 15 carbs in snacks three times a day. One can of soda has the carbs of one meal for me. I drink one can of diet soda a day. If I am going to have bad carbs I will have them in the form of chocolate. I have always preferred whole fruit over juice and only took up diet sodas after my diabetes eliminated my daily gin and tonic.

  90. Angie

    No offence, but a lot of the “research” demonizing high fructose corn syrup assumes that you don’t know the difference between HFCS and pure fructose. The composition of HFCS is about the same as table sugar- the HFCS in soda is about 55% fructose and 45% glucose. From junkfoodscience.blogspot.com

    “Some don’t believe we should eat anything made by Big Food, so they’ve embraced fructose mythology by very carefully choosing their words and designing their studies so that you’ll think their findings for fructose are referring to HFCS. Their studies use pure fructose or inordinately high percentages of fructose sweeteners — up to 30% of calories, which is three to four times the amount in our daily diets! — to suggest something ominous. But we never eat fructose that way. “Fructose is always found in about a 50% ratio to glucose,” explained John S. White, Ph.D., a fructose researcher with White Technical Research Group, Argenta, IL. “The percentage is what’s important, not the total amount of fructose in grams. The sugars have a buffering effect on one another and don’t act independently. You don’t see malabsorption problems unless you study unrealistic percentages of fructose, [problems] which disappear at around a 50% intake.” And in fact, no studies on HFCS as normally consumed, just like other sweeteners, has shown it’s harmful. ”

    Splenda is an indegestible molecule. Sucralose- the product of the reaction between sucrose and chlorine ions- mimicks the shape of a disaccharide. It is not broken down by the body, and is disposed of in the usual way.

  91. Chris

    I actually only drink one drink on the list, Fanta Orange. That is the only soda or sugar filled beverage I drink, except for green tea. Water is 10X better and you can add low-cal flavors to water to give it a little taste if it’s too boring. I like crystal light and they are only 5-10 cals per serving. You can’t beat that! ( :

  92. Melba

    If you really want to lose weight, begin drinking a mixture of 1 part water & 3 parts sweetened Koolade. Gradually decrease Koolade & increase water, a little at a time until you’re only drinking water (or until it’s BARELY flavored with water). Eat ANY TIME YOU FEEL A LITTLE HUNGER PANG but get FULL on vegetables or anything without calories. For “dessert”, eat as much Jello with fresh berries as you can eat. This works !!!

  93. DB Tucker

    TheMorbidMe said:
    It is amazing to see how our kids just pop those cans as if it where water… […]

    Huh … just where are our kids getting these drinks? Mom and Dad allowing and buying?

  94. Brenda

    I gave up even diet soda for Lent this year. (40 days). I lost three pounds.. Between the carbonation and chemicals in packaged beverages, water is really the best drink for our body. I even now try to avoid the flavored waters.

  95. toni

    Suprise! Mountain Dew has lots of caffeine, so it does have drug like effects. If you drink lots of it, and then stop suddenly, the sudden drop in caffeine can give you headaches, esp. if you already are prone to migraines. You need to taper off gradually, and not substitute other caffeine. Good luck.

  96. Liz

    Bralee,

    Mountain Dew has a lot of caffiene, I think 55mg per can. What you are probably experiencing is a caffiene headache along with the high and sudden lows of the caffeine and sugar. It gives you an immediate burst of energy but then makes your energy levels sink to very low levels.

    Caffiene withdrawel can take a week or so to get through but once you are through it the headaches should pass.

  97. Barbara

    I never realized how much sugar was in sodas……but after reading this , it is bye-bye soda, even the diet.

  98. Bralee

    So,what does it mean if the only thing i drink is mountain dew.im thin but tired all the time. where i work we get free fountain drinks so its easy access.im prone to severe migraines and when i cut myself off the dew i get very sick and have the migraines. i want to stop drinking it because i think thats why im tired all the time.mountain dew is like a drug for me. i get happy at the very sight of the can.is there a mountain dew annonymous or something? dont suggest diet dew,diet drinks taste like crap.

  99. Christine

    Check with your school district if you are that concerned. Ours recently changed our policies, so we have refrigerated vending machines that offer fruits and vegetables, and low sugar drinks because there were so many health concerns raised by parents. Our cafeteria now no longer serves pizza or any other high fat foods. It’s easier than you think to make a change to benefit your selves and your families.

  100. carolyn

    I use splenda or equal in my drinks. It is supposed to be better than using sugar. I wonder though if it is toxic. ugh!

  101. The Waxing Phillosipher

    Mary said:
    Very informative. Too bad the schools have no nutrition patrol to keep these ites off their cafeteria menu and out of the machines .I now drink Crystal lite[…]

    Check again, mary. Every public school is required to have personnel that are trained in proper nutrition! That doesn’t mean that after they leave the cafeteria, that the school itself doesn’t profit from the vending machines in their halls. This is a very good point to bring up at the next very boring PTA/PTO meeting (by the way, you do not have to be a paying member to attend these meetings. If you have a child attending the school, then you have a right to have your say. This was america, last i checked, contrary to our current goverments political views.)

  102. Lucie

    Just the thought of pouring that much sugar into my mouth makes me sick. I have a friend from the South who swears she cannot live without her sweet tea. She offered me a sip once and I could barely swallow it. It was awful. But she grew up on that and fried foods. She jokes that there isn’t a vegetable alive that doesn’t taste better dipped in batter and deep-fried, and she even puts sugar in the batter. She swears she is healthy as can be. Yeah. For now.

  103. Mary

    Very informative. Too bad the schools have no nutrition patrol to keep these ites off their cafeteria menu and out of the machines .I now drink Crystal lite

  104. rob

    shocking i never new just how much sugar is in a can, i drink 4-5 of these a day, time for some changes

  105. josh

    i think that when you drink fizzy drinks it will decay your teeth (making u look bad) and as people are saying, people are getting addicted to suger so this must mean that people are spending more money to keep up there bodies suger demand.

  106. almost vegetarian

    The horror of it all. And to think so many of these are marketed to and given to our children. Especially in lieu of real fruits. And what’s worse is that these companies continue to put out these juices, some with less and some with more (and some with a lot more) sugar of all types, like the new juice from Nestle (http://almostvegetarian.blogspot.com), especially bearing in mind the national obesity epidemic. Shameful.

  107. catwalker

    It’s not actually even sugar that you’re drinking – those drinks are made with high fructose corn syrup which your body barely knows how to deal with. Sugar would be bad but isn’t nearly as bad as the corn syrup.

    from an article in the SF Gate – http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL

    “Loading high fructose corn syrup into increasingly larger portions of soda and processed food has packed more calories into us and more money into food processing companies, say nutritionists and food activists. But some health experts argue that the issue is bigger than mere calories. The theory goes like this: The body processes the fructose in high fructose corn syrup differently than it does old-fashioned cane or beet sugar, which in turn alters the way metabolic-regulating hormones function. It also forces the liver to kick more fat out into the bloodstream.

    The end result is that our bodies are essentially tricked into wanting to eat more and at the same time, we are storing more fat.”

    They use the corn syrup because it’s a fraction of the price of regular sugar. criminal.

  108. Dan

    we all know that there is a huge amount of sugar in soft drinks….
    It is easy to calculate for any soft drink:
    1 teaspoon of sugar = 4 grams = 15 calories.
    ( http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c21SC.html )

    Since all the calories in soft drinks come from the sweetener…

    a can of coke at 150 calories / 12 oz = 10 teaspoons of sugar.
    You would be hard pressed to get that amount of sugar into a glass of iced tea! (unless you are a Southern iced tea drinker!)

  109. Rob O.

    The part that concerns me is that “big soda” has fiendishly invaded the schools and placed soda machines in oh-so-convenient locations.

    Sure, you have a great deal of control over what your kids consume at home, but what about those many hours that they’re at school, bending to the will of peer pressure and the crushing forces of manipulative advertising?

    The way the fast food & “big soda” companies prey upon kids in school is kinda like shooting fish in a barrel. I wish more parents would get riled up by this exploitatory behavior… We’re allowing these companies to grow future consumers from the ground up and it all just seems very insidious to me.

  110. Oscar

    Based on the conversion, I never thought that those drinks would have that much sugar. This is probably what we get for choosing things that ready to drink. If we make our own drink, we can measure how much sugar we want and don’t have to worry about it.

  111. mo pie

    And that’s why you have to drink unsweetened cranberry juice if you have a UTI. Because the sugar is bad for your UTI, and it negates the effect of the cranberry. Just a little public service announcement for all you women out there.

  112. Spectra

    I make a point to never drink sugary beverages. I feel it’s a waste of calories. The only liquid calories I take in are milk and beer (or vodka mixed with diet soda). I haven’t had regular soda in about 4 years.

  113. snoop

    i’ve never been a fan of sugary drinks, although i have a raging sweet tooth. i prefer eating sugar in the form of cookies and pastries as opposed to drinking it. plus, the carbonation in soda makes me bloated and that alone is enough to make me not want to drink it.

  114. Kery

    Eww. I’ve never really paid attention to the math and to how much sugar all ofthis amounted to, but I think I can be glad that I’ve given up on such drinks long ago. It’s kind of frightening…

  115. Alex

    It’s not surprising that most of the juice drinks have high sugar content. Based on it’s sweetness, you can already tell that it probabgly has huge amount of sugar.

  116. gabriel

    ive only heard of fanta out of all of them sugars ik for you just not alot of it

  117. Doug Burns

    Yes – sugar IS addictive. And we all know that it’s the worst thing for us. Problem is, when I’m in a hurry and I need a drink to go with my lunch, it’s mostly the drinks on this list are among my options. Usually, I stick to water, but it’s nice to have someone around to help.

    When that sugar-craving sneaks up, look around and see if you have any friends with you who will help encourage you to make the right choices.

    -Doug Burns, SugarFitness.com

  118. Jim

    Amanda said:
    Er, actually, according to the math, it would be around 20 teaspoons[…]

    I’m sorry 🙁 Hard to believe that math was my best subject. Yet another late night post. Anyway – at least I know you’re reading it…

    Anyway… yes most of these were not straight sugar but HFCS. Even so – if you have a 3-4 can a day habit, there’s some serious sugar overload going on – particularly with the orange sodas.

  119. The Faddist

    Graham Foster said:
    Another concern is the alternatives are diet soda’s are packed full of chemicals which in the quantities people consume them in are probably going to cause cancer in later life.

    Seems a real dilema if anyone even cared more about their customers health than their shareholders profits!

    Graham,

    Spare us the rhetoric. We’ve already had the “diet soda will give you cancer” discussion a few threads back and your side didn’t fare so well because… well, because there’s no facts behind your side.

    Sugar isn’t inherently evil, and aspartame has no ill effects. The “greedy” big businesses don’t want you sick or dead, they want you alive so you can buy more of their product so they can make more money. That’s a side of corporate greed you seldom hear about.

    There is no “dilema [sic]” as you put it. The biggest dilemma people seem to face here is how to shift the blame (to the media, corporations, the government, etc.) so they don’t have to feel responsible for being fat. It’s a victim mentality that, ironically enough, just serves to keep you fat.

  120. Mark

    Avoid drinking calories – it’s the easiest way to lose bloat and pounds. There’s simply no need to drink juice, iced drinks, sports and “energy” drinks, ever! I think marketers have really conditioned people to think that it’s acceptable to drink calories so long as there’s the veil of either health or refreshment. But drinking calories is unnatural and unnecessary. Don’t forget about all the coffee drinks which are really just glorified milkshakes! Those drive me nuts. 🙂
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/calorie-award/

  121. The Faddist

    I remember watching KoolAid commercials when I was a kid and they would say how much better it was for you than soda because it had a third less sugar then soda. And all I could think was, “Not the way I make it, sweetheart.”

  122. Fast weight loss?

    Really useful list of drinks that are full of sugar. We use these drinks very frequently and in a happy mood without knowing their effects.

  123. Graham Foster

    The worrying thing is most kids are brought up on this stuff and it’s like eating bags of sugar…Even if we ignore the teeth decay issues. The obesity in kids is not being helped by the multi million dollar promotions behind these products.

    Another concern is the alternatives are diet soda’s are packed full of chemicals which in the quantities people consume them in are probably going to cause cancer in later life.

    Seems a real dilema if anyone even cared more about their customers health than their shareholders profits!

  124. suzan yocum

    I know from experience that I have cut out Dr. Peppers from my diet and have lost weight were I am now dpwn a dress size in just 2 months. I also drink lots of water every day.

  125. Susan Parsons MD

    I agree that sugar is an addiction. And there are no redeeming qualities. One of my “diet secrets” is “Don’t drink the calories!” Getting off of soft drinks is one of the easiest ways to improve your diet.

    But it’s amazing how many people tell me that they don’t like plain water. I suggest that they try unsweetened tea or coffee or add a lemon or lime slice. Another technique is to add a small amount of unsweetened cranberry, blueberry, or pomegranate juice to your water. My favorite Starbucks drink is a non-fat latte. Just skim milk and espresso – yum! They have soy milk too, for those who don’t do dairy.

  126. Ann

    About 21.5 teaspoons of sugar …
    I’ve never tried any of those drinks. But I have had some other types of cranberry juice before. I loved craisins until I took a look at how much sugar they have to add to make them edible.

  127. Red

    What’s more, the vast majority of “sugar” in these drinks is not actual sugar (sucrose), but high-fructose corn syrup.

  128. Jan

    Half a cup of sugar! It is half water, half sugar when you think of it. Scary.

  129. Crabby McSlacker

    I thought it was interesting, too, how many of these were “fruity” flavors, which would suggest to the naive that they might be slightly healthier. I would have thought colas took more sugar to sweeten than fruit flavored drinks.

    I made myself switch to diet soft drinks but not happily. This, however, is a good reminder not to even think about going back.

  130. TheMorbidMe

    It is amazing to see how our kids just pop those cans as if it where water…

  131. Quito

    Yeah. And, just in case you’re thinking soda = low class: over at Starbucks, a venti Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino Blended Coffee (no whip) has 83 grams of sugar and a venti Dulce de Leche Latte (no whip) has 70 grams of sugar. Adding whip adds fat, for the most part: a venti Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Coffee with whip has 80 grams of sugar, 25 grams of fat, and 650 calories (but it does have 3 grams of fiber!)

  132. Lose Weight With Me

    I was a Pepsi-holic before I made my lifestyle changes. I would drink a minimum of a 6 pack a day. I honestly think I was addicted to the sugar.

    Now, I can’t stand the taste of it. I don’t even drink Diet sodas anymore. I think this was one of the keys for my weight loss success.

    Brian

  133. Amanda

    …wait. By “over a cup,” I meant, “Almost half a cup.” Of course. STILL ludicrous.

  134. Amanda

    Er, actually, according to the math, it would be around 20 teaspoons. Which is still ridiculous. There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon, four tablespoons in a quarter cup. That’s over a cup of sugar. Kinda puts the trepidations that keep me from adding ONE packet of sugar to my coffee into perspective.