The research, carried out by Glasgow University, found that, while people knew about the high sugar levels in most fizzy drinks, they did not know about the sugar in soft drinks such as fruit juices and smoothies.
The results of the study also showed that soft drinks could be accounting for a large chunk of people’s recommended calorie intake.
The British Soft Drink Association hit back at the research, saying that the levels sugar in soft drinks is not hidden because beverages carry clear labeling of nutritional content.
However, when the study asked participants to guess how many teaspoons of sugar were in a range of popular soft drinks they found that many people guessed too low.
For a pomegranate-based drink, the participants underestimated the number of teaspoons by nearly 18.
The participants also admitted to not including the calories in soft drinks when looking at the health of their diet.
Prof Naveed Sattar said, ‘What you drink can be as damaging to your body as what you eat.’
See also: Five Tips on How to Quit Sugar
