Sugar content and health risk assessment in freshly made sugary commercial beverages: A cross-sectional study

Excessive sugar intake from beverages has become a growing concern due to its links to various health problems, such as obesity and diabetes. This study aims to evaluate the sugar content in commercial beverages and assess the associated health risks based on WHO guidelines. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 366 samples, where high-performance liquid chromatography was used to measure the presence of five types of sugars. The average total sugar content was 5.98 ± 3.24g/100mL, with sucrose being the most common sugar detected. Interestingly, 64.2% of the products were labeled as "low sugar," but 50% exceeded the WHO's recommended daily intake of 25g per serving, and 9.8% surpassed 50g. Additionally, beverages with larger volumes (500mL) were more likely to exceed the recommended intake with potentials to increase health risks. These results highlight significant discrepancies between product labeling and actual sugar content.