Half of America Downs One Sugary Drink Daily

And 1 in 20 of us drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda daily
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 1, 2011 8:29 AM CDT
Half of America Downs One Sugary Drink Daily
A variety of Coca-Cola cans and bottles are displayed on a counter at a local store in West Bath, Maine, Monday, Aug. 8, 2011, in this photo illustration.   (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

Well, this could have something to do with why we’re fat: Half of Americans drink at least one soda or other sugary beverage per day, and one in 20 drinks the equivalent of four-plus cans. The alarming CDC report follows interviews conducted between 2005 and 2008 with more than 17,000 people, who were asked what they ate and drank the day before. Diet sodas, sweetened teas, flavored milks, and 100% fruit juice were not counted in the total figures.

The numbers will likely bolster a new plan by health advocates to push companies to stop selling or providing sugary drinks on their property, the AP notes. The new effort also includes ad campaigns; one will ask, “If you wouldn’t eat 22 packs of sugar, why are you drinking it?” The average can of sugared soda or juice includes a whopping 10 to 12 teaspoons of sugar, and health officials recommend that such beverages should only account for 64 of your daily calories—which happens to be less than half a 12-ounce can of regular, 140-calorie Coca-Cola. (More soda stories.)

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