How Much Sugar Is Too Much?

Key Takeaways

• Even a small amount of extra sugar from sweetened beverages like soda can significantly raise the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and even depression.
• Too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance, and even disrupt neurotransmitters that affect mood.
• Switching to water, unsweetened coffee or tea, or sparkling water with a splash or juice could reduce these health risks.

Sodas and other sugary drinks don't just pack on the pounds. They also may increase your odds of developing cancer, heart disease , stroke , diabetes , depression, and a number of other serious health issues.

A comprehensive scientific review of 25 studies involving more than 22 million people found that even a small increase in regular sugar-sweetened beverage consumption could heighten the risk of serious illness and even early death.

"The evidence suggests that individuals - both adults and children - should limit their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages," says study author Shutong Du , a researcher with the department of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. "Public health strategies are a pressing imperative to address sugar-sweetened beverage intake and improve diet quality and human health."

The Many Health Consequences of Too Much Sugar

The analysis, published in The Annual Review of Nutrition , found that on average, drinking greater quantities of regular soda (not sugar-free), fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened waters, and coffee and tea beverages with added sugars was linked to poorer health outcomes in contrast with drinking lower amounts.

The results highlighted that every daily 8-ounce (oz) serving of soda or similar beverage raised the risk of dying from any cause by 4.2 percent, and the risk of dying from heart disease in particular by 8.2 percent.

When it came to specific diseases, every 8-oz daily serving was associated with a 15.2 percent increased risk for coronary heart disease, 6.8 percent increased risk for stroke, and 27 percent increased risk for diabetes.

When comparing highest to lowest sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in more than two dozen studies, Du and collaborators observed a greater chance of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (47 percent), kidney stones (38 percent), and depression (31 percent higher).

"It is alarming how much sugar sweetened beverages are negatively impacting every part of the body," says Elaine Hon, RD, a certified diabetes care and education specialist at Stanford Health Care in California. "I was surprised that sugar-sweetened beverages also play a role in depression. This tells me sugar impacts much more than our physiological health but also our mental well-being," she says.

In addition, the study confirmed what dentists have warned us about for years. "Those with the highest consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages versus the lowest had 94.8 percent higher odds of having dental caries [tooth decay]," says Du.

A Lasting Impact on Children

Along with the negative outcomes for adults, the analysis revealed the impact of sugary drinks on children as well. Specifically, the findings showed that every serving increase in daily sugar-sweetened beverages was related to a 0.06-unit increase in BMI (body mass index) over a one-year period.

Hon, who was not involved in the study, warns that children with a high body mass index have a greater likelihood to develop obesity as an adult, which can place them at a risk for future health complications.

Nearly two-thirds of children in the United States consume sugary drinks every day, according to the State of Childhood Obesity report.

"If children are consuming more sugar sweetened beverages, this could result in overall poor nutrition status, as the beverages may replace calories from high quality foods," she says.

How Do Sugary Drinks Harm the Body?

Sodas and other sweet drinks can be loaded with sugar. The American Heart Association urges men to not consume more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar per day and women to keep their intake to no more than 6 teaspoons per day from food and beverages. Yet just one 12-oz serving of soda contains about 9 teaspoons of added sugar.

Plus, these sugary drinks rapidly enter the system, quickly increasing blood sugar and creating a surge of insulin. When this happens repeatedly, cells become insulin resistant , meaning they don't respond as they should to insulin (a hormone your pancreas makes that's essential for regulating blood sugar levels). This can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and obesity .

"All of the health problems in this study are associated with an excess of calories and spikes in blood sugar, and insulin," says Lindsay Malone, RDN , an instructor in the nutrition department at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine in Cleveland. "Sugar sweetened beverages are a surge of calories that most people don't need, and the body has a hard time keeping up with the excess. As a result, we see fat start to accumulate in the liver and body fat production ramps up."

An overload of sugar from these drinks may also push "bad" blood fats higher, leading to a thickening of the artery walls, which raises the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.

Evidence from the American Cancer Society suggests that sugary drinks may raise cancer risk for a number of reasons, including obesity, high blood sugar, and inflammation.

The odds of having depression may increase with sweetened beverage intake because excessive sugar may disrupt the normal functions of neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brain related to mood.

Turning Off the Tap on Sugary Drinks

To help avoid the potential tidal wave of troubles that sugar drinks may cause, health experts urge people to drink more water or things like unsweetened tea and coffee.

Hon recommends that some people take gradual steps toward breaking their sugar cravings, such as trying 90 percent water with just a splash of juice for flavor.

"Swap soda for sparkling water," says Malone, who was not involved in the study. "Liven up your water with lemons, limes, oranges, cucumbers, or fresh herbs. Add cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to hot tea or coffee."

Malone adds that beverages that contain artificial sweeteners instead of sugar may not be the answer, as they have been associated with gut microbiome disruption and insulin resistance.

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

1. Lane MM et al. Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Adverse Human Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses of Observational Studies. Annual Review of Nutrition . August 29, 2024.
2. Sugary Drinks Harm Kids' Health. State of Childhood Obesity . September 3, 2020.
3. How Much Sugar Is Too Much? American Heart Association . September 23, 2024.
4. Malik VS et al. Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care . November 2010.
5. Haslam DE et al. Beverage Consumption and Longitudinal Changes in Lipoprotein Concentrations and Incident Dyslipidemia in US Adults: The Framingham Heart Study. Journal of the American Heart Association . February 26, 2020.
6. McCullough M et al. Sugar- and Artificially-Sweetened Beverages and Cancer Mortality in a Large U.S. Prospective Cohort. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention . October 1, 2022.
7. Zhang L et al. Association between dietary sugar intake and depression in US adults: a cross-sectional study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2018. BMC Psychiatry . February 8, 2024.
8. Ruiz-Ojeda FJ et al. Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials. Advances in Nutrition . February 5, 2019.
9. Mathur K et al. Effect of artificial sweeteners on insulin resistance among type-2 diabetes mellitus patients. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care . January 2020.

Meet Our Experts See Our Editorial Policy Meet Our Health Expert Network

Don Rauf

Author

Don Rauf has been a freelance health writer for over 12 years and his writing has been featured in HealthDay, CBS News, WebMD, U.S. News & World Report, Mental Floss, United Press International (UPI), Health , and MedicineNet. He was previously a reporter for DailyRx.com where he covered stories related to cardiology, diabetes, lung cancer, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, menopause, and allergies. He has interviewed doctors and pharmaceutical representatives in the U.S. and abroad.

He is a prolific writer and has written more than 50 books, including Lost America: Vanished Civilizations , Abandoned Towns , and Roadside Attractions . Rauf lives in Seattle, Washington.

See full bio See Our Editorial Policy Meet Our Health Expert Network