More Than One-Third Of Starbucks Drinks Contain As Much Sugar As A Can Of Coca-Cola, Study Says

Unless your morning Starbucks order is a black coffee with very little added sweetener, your daily coffee is probably more of a sugar overdose than a caffeine fix.Caramel mocha lattes may sound tempting and delicious, but according to a recent study from U.K. campaign group Action on Sugar, 35 percent of hot drinks at coffee chains in the U.K. contain more than nine teaspoons of sugar — or about the same amount as a can of Coca-Cola.

In fact, 98 percent of hot drinks sold at British coffee shop chains contain excessive levels of sugar, according to WHO nutritional standards, which recommends that adults consume only six teaspoons of sugar daily. Flavored drinks at Starbucks and other similar coffee shops can contain up to 20 teaspoons of sugar.

The research obviously focuses on coffee shops in the U.K., but the study also compares American caffeinated drink offenders. Two of the worst offenders on this side of the pond are a vanilla latte and caramel macchiato from Starbucks, which contain more than eight teaspoons of sugar each.

Starbucks has committed to reducing the percentage of "indulgent drinks" by 25 percent by 2020, and has insisted that drinks with high sugar contents are meant to be "an occasional treat" as opposed to an everyday habit.