Health

Adding sugar to coffee or tea not a big health risk, research suggests

By Mallika Marshall, MD

October 30, 2023 / 5:36 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON - It might be okay to add a spoonful of sugar to your coffee in the morning.

Researchers in Europe looked at data on Danish men and found that adding sugar to coffee or tea was not associated with an increased risk of diabetes or death due to cancer or heart disease.

They did not ask the men how much sugar they added to their beverages, but assumed it was a little.

And of course, there is a big difference between how much sugar you're likely to add to your coffee at home and how much sugar you get at your local coffee shop.

There are four grams in one teaspoon of sugar, but flavored coffees made by your favorite barista could contain upwards of 50 grams of sugar.

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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