Americans consume nearly 80 pounds of sugar a year, survey reveals

According to a recent study, the average American consumes over 36,000 grams of sugar per year.The poll of 2,000 Americans found that the average person ingests 99 grams of sugar per day, which is more sugar than what’s in two 12-ounce cans of soda. Over the span of a year, that totals to nearly 80 pounds of sugar.Conducted by Talker research on behalf of Hint Water, the survey looked to uncover Americans’ habits regarding sugar consumption and the surprising way sugar has impacted their hydration levels.According to results, the majority of respondents (85%) are actively working to reduce their sugar intake. Which makes sense considering that 34% of respondents admitted the majority of their liquid intake on a regular day comes in their morning coffee.Twenty-eight percent say their liquid intake is mostly made up of soda. However, more than half of respondents (51%) believe that when they’re craving sugar, their bodies are actually craving hydration.And seeing that, on average, respondents reported only drinking 48 ounces of water on a typical day, it’s no surprise that improving hydration is respondents’ No.

1 health goal.In fact, over half (51%) are working to drink enough water, specifically to prevent sugar cravings.  “The study revealed that, on a regular day, the average respondent consumes more than twice the amount of sugar recommended by the American Heart Association and significantly less water than is recommended by the U.S.National Academy of Medicine,” said Amy Calhoun Robb, chief marketing officer at Hint Water.

“And while it’s important to showcase how much room we have for improvement, it’s also important to understand why this is the case.”The emotions most likely to prompt sugar cravings, according to results, include stress (39%), boredom (36%), fatigue (24%) and loneliness (17%). And when craving sugar, respondents reported feeling anxious (23%), irritable (22%), impatient (20%) and unproductive (20%).The top scen...