Uh Oh! Your Favorite Starbucks Drink May Contain Excessive Amounts of Sugar

Step away from the Starbucks. A new study by the British campaign group, Action on Sugar, claims flavored drinks, like those everyone enjoys from Starbucks, can contain up to 25 teaspoons of sugar per serving. Yes, that’s per serving.

And while we know sugar isn’t good for your waistline, it isn’t good for your heart either. The levels found in those flavored Starbucks drinks are actually three times the maximum daily intake recommended by the American Heart Association.

It’s also three times the amount of sugar found in one 8 ounce can of Coke.

The study says that 98 percent of hot, flavored drinks would receive a red label, meaning excessive levels of sugar per serving. And considering most Starbucks drinks are multiple servings, this is not good news for your favorite morning pick-me-up. Even those drinks that claim to be healthy, such as Starbucks Chai Tea Latte (a personal favorite here), contain extreme levels of sugar.

Following the study, a Starbucks spokesperson said, “Earlier this year we committed to reduce added sugar in our indulgent drinks by 25% by the end of 2020.  We also offer a wide variety of lighter options, sugar-free syrups and sugar-free natural sweetener and we display all nutritional information in-store and online.”

Only time (and our waistlines) will tell if Starbucks follows through with this promise.