Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) include commonly consumed products such as soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks; coffee, tea, and water with added sugars; and some fruit juices, although not all nutrition experts agree on fruit juice’s inclusion as an SSB. While the consumption of SSBs has declined in recent decades, they remain a leading contributor to sugar intake among people living in the United States.
While the over-consumption of sugar from any source is harmful for health, SSBs present a physiologically unique risk to health due to a converging set of factors. Because they contain no supporting food matrix to slow absorption, SSBs are rapidly absorbed by the gut and cause blood sugar spikes. Sugars from fruits and vegetables are packaged with a matrix of fiber and micronutrients that reduce the rate of digestion. This slow digestion and absorption reduces blood sugar spikes and supports better glycemic control. Additionally, many SSBs [exceed the recommended maximum...