U.S. adults like drinks sickeningly sweet

MELROSE PARK, Ill., March 20 (UPI) -- An average American consumes 22.5 teaspoons of added sugar daily, half from soda and fruit drinks, but a labeling initiative may cut that, a U.S. doctor says.

Dr. Jessica Bartfield, a medical weight-loss specialist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of the Loyola University Health System in Illinois, says as of February, the front labels of packaged beverages now include the total number of calories in containers of 20 ounces or less.

"Liquid caloric consumption can be quite a significant contribution to weight gain so this is a tremendous effort to educate the public," Bartfield says in a statement.

"Beverage containers traditionally 'hid' the nutritional content at the back in a small square with small print and cleverly listed just the calorie content per serving. Unbeknownst to those who are happily guzzling their favorite cola or fruit drink, most packaged beverages contain multiple servings, and most Americans fail to do the math on the total calorie count."

Research shows 10 percent of overweight adults consume 450 calories of sugar-sweetened beverages per day, which is three times that of an average U.S. resident.

"Cutting 450 calories per day would lead to about a 1 pound per week weight loss, close to 50 pounds in one year," Bartfield adds.