Researchers examined five nationally representative surveys about food intake in the U.S. from 1977 to 2010, and found that added sugar consumption by American adults has increased by about 30% in the last three decades.

Is sugar consumption decreasing?

The increased consumption of added sugars has been linked to an overall decrease in diet quality (4), an increase in body weight and obesity (5), and the development of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors (6, 7).

Why is sugar consumption so high?

Although the high consumption of added sugars in the US population (on average, approximately 22 teaspoons per day) is possibly related to the “addictive” property of the palatable foods and the reward system in the brain, the abundance of added sugars in the current food environment and influential advertising by the ...