Coca-Cola is kind of everywhere. From downtown LA to the densely-packed streets of Tokyo, to even rural roads and vendors of places like Chile. It’s kind of impossible to escape this soft drink beverage, no matter where you go.
It might be found on every continent outside of frozen Antarctica! Then again, given how tasty it is, as well as it is safe to drink, even months after it has been stored in a can, are we really that surprised?
However as we become more health-conscious and aware of the food and drinks that we put into our bodies, many ingredients such as sugar have come under a lot of scrutiny. So, how much sugar does the world’s most popular soft drink have?
That’s what we’re going to show you here! This guide will explain just how much sugar you’ll find in a regular serving of Coca-cola, and its ‘healthier’ alternatives, as well as some of the health effects that you should be keeping in mind.
How Much Sugar Is In Regular Coca-Cola?
So, let’s get the main question out of the way first. How much sugar can you find in a serving of classic, original-flavored Coca-Cola? Well, to sum it up, quite a lot!
The amount of sugar that you’ll find in any soft drink, not just Coca-Cola, will depend on the size of the serving that you are drinking. These are the measurements for sugar that you’ll find for the usual servings of Coca-Cola, according to Coca-Cola themselves:
- A 7.5-ounce serving of Coke contains around 9 grams of sugar, as well as 90 calories in it.
- An 8-ounce serving contains 26 grams of sugar and 100 calories.
- 8.5 coke servings clock in at 28 grams, while staying at 100 calories.
- 12 ounces, a regular-sized can of Coca-Cola, contains around 39 grams of sugar, and 140 calories too.
- 16 ounces of coke has 52 grams of sugar and 190 calories.
- 20 ounces, the largest regular-sized serving of Coca-Cola, comes in at a whopping 65 grams of sugar, and 240 calories.
So, as you would expect, smaller cans of Coca-Cola have significantly fewer calories and sugar in them, while bigger cans will have more.
Recommended Amount Of Sugar
So, what exactly do any of those numbers mean? Is it a lot? Well, most organizations recommend that calories that you intake daily from processed sugars shouldn’t make up more than 10% of a healthy adult’s diet.
If the average adult’s caloric intake should be around 2,000 to 2,500 per day (the exact number will vary from person to person), a 20-ounce serving of Coca-Cola could be anywhere from 10% to 12% of your total daily recommended calories.
A single large serving could max out the number of processed calories that you’re allowed in a day! And that’s just counting the average amount of calories for a relatively healthy person.
If you’re deliberately avoiding these kinds of calories in your diet, even a smaller serving could be too much to sustain a healthy diet with.
Effects Of Sugar On The Body
The effects of a highly processed sugar diet have been well-documented at this point, with the major health risks coming in the form of higher blood pressure, obesity and a higher risk to it, developing type-2 diabetes, and even respiratory and heart issues.
And that’s not even mentioning the effect that sugar can have on your teeth, building up as plaque, damaging your gums, and causing cavities to form. Needless to say, having a lot of this sugar in your diet is not a good thing!
Sugar In Other Kinds Of Coca-Cola
So, if you want to avoid the high amounts of sugar found in your diet, are there any other Coca-Cola alternatives that you can try? Well, the two main other options that Coca-Cola provides are Diet Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero.
Diet Coke contains sweeteners with a reduced amount of sugar and calories in them but still has at least some sugar and calories in them, so you can’t escape the dangers of over-indulging in Diet Coke, unfortunately.
Coke Zero, meanwhile, has artificial sweeteners in it that mean that you won’t be drinking any sugar while enjoying a can of this version, making it arguably the ‘healthiest’ option.
However, all of these Coca-Cola products still contain other ingredients that can be harmful in high quantities, such as caffeine, including Coke Zero too.
Final Notes – Is Coca-Cola Bad For You?
So, does this mean that you can’t enjoy a refreshing can of Coca-Cola at all? Are All soft drinks bad for you? Well, not when consumed in appropriate amounts.
A small amount of Coca-Cola from time to time (not daily) won’t immediately give you all the bad effects of too much sugar, especially Coke Zero. However, they need to stay as infrequent treats, and not be drunk all the time.
