Starbucks drinks were in the spotlight of a British study that reports the amount of sugar in many of the coffee shop chain's drinks is surprising. The group's findings show that several Starbucks beverages have more sugar than a can of Coke. Other companies included in the analysis included McDonalds, KFC, and many European coffee chains.
The advocacy group Action on Sugar conducted the study. It describes itself as a group of specialists that focuses on sugar and its health effects.
The study included a wide variety of beverages including chai tea latte (52 grams of sugar), and white chocolate mocha (73.8 grams of sugar). Meanwhile, a can of Coca-Cola has 33 grams of sugar.
Action on Sugar reported that the highest amount of sugar was a hot grape drink with chai, orange, and cinnamon, which is not sold in the United States. It had 99 grams of sugar (25 teaspoons).
The American Heart Association recommends limiting daily added sugar to 45 grams (9 teaspoons) for men, according to CBS News. For women the amount is 30 grams (6 teaspoons).
Dunkin' Donuts was not included in the study because there are no shops in the United Kingdom. However, a large latte with milk contains over 13 teaspoons of sugar.
The group collected the nutritional information and sugar content of different drinks from various sources. They included company sites, stores, or manufacturers.
Kawther Hashem is a registered nutritionist and researcher at Action on Sugar. She pointed out that hot flavored drinks should be a rare treat instead of an everyday beverage due to the high sugar content and calories. They are also often combined with a high sugar/fat snack.
Action on Sugar has also helped to lower consumers' sugar intake and rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity. The group promotes using color-coded labels on all foods and drinks to reveal the ones that have a high sugar content.
Last September the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report about fast food consumption. It found that on any day about one-third of U.S. children eat fast food, and kids eat a daily average 12.4 percent of their calories from fast food, according to Time.
Here's how sugar affects hte human brain: