How Much Sugar Are Americans Eating [Infographic]

Sugar has replaced other compounds we have to shun if we want to be healthy and avoid death, apparently. It sounds almost comical, but it’s actually pretty serious. Too much sugar is linked to everything from metabolic syndrome to cancer, and given our tragic dependence on it, it’s even begun to be banned in some locales.

And just in time for back-to-school, a new study reports that although soda is becoming less commonplace in middle and high schools, sports drinks – which are essentially sugar-water by another name – have largely replaced it. Sports drinks were still available to 83% of high school students and 55% of middle school students in 2010. The numbers are actually better than they were four years earlier, but, the study authors argue, these drinks are a key part of the obesity epidemic that’s spreading among young people.

If you’re still not convinced that the country is, at least on average, consuming too much sugar, this infographic by OnlineNursingPrograms.com may help. And note the last section, which refers to the research finding that, given the way it acts on the brain, sugar may be just as addictive as cocaine. So even if you’re ready to kick the habit, it might not be as easy as you think.

Think fast! Out of everything you’ve eaten or drank today already, how much sugar was in all of it? Chances are that by the end of the day the amount you’ll have eaten might be somewhere around 22 teaspoons. That shouldn’t be too surprising though; it’s in so many things that we consume every day and besides salt it’s easily the most pervasive food additive used by Americans.

Today’s infographic shows us just how much sugar we’re consuming as a nation each year, and the numbers are pretty incredible. The American Heart Association recommends a maximum of 9.5 teaspoons of sugar per day; not only do we consume more than twice that every day on average, but a can of soda has 10 teaspoons already and we drink 53 gallons of the stuff every year!

The obvious problem with this extreme amount of sugar consumption is the toll that it can take on your health. In addition to the better-known sugar-related health complications like diabetes and obesity, people can experience aching limbs, depression, and hypertension from too much sugar. From this perspective, a can of soda can really cost a lot more than $1.

For more information on America’s sugar consumption refer to the infographic below.