Reduce sugar and eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages

Cut sugar-sweetened beverages (sodas, fruit juices, energy drinks, sweetened teas) from your diet. Reduce added sugar intake to well below 50g per day. Drink water, unsweetened tea, or black coffee instead.

Why It Works

High sugar intake from SSBs is linked to a 38% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In 2020, SSBs alone caused 1.2 million new CVD cases globally. Sugar consumption correlates directly with obesity (r=0.37) and hypertension (r=0.31) at the national level. Mexico leads at 135g of sugar per person per day, followed by the US at 126g - both have elevated CVD rates.

Tips

• Sugar-sweetened beverages are the single largest source of added sugar in Western diets
• Even 100% fruit juice spikes blood sugar similarly to soda
• Countries with the lowest CVD rates (Japan, Korea) consume far less added sugar per capita