Coca-Cola is everywhere. Coca-Cola is a great way to cool off on hot summer nights, and the Coca-Cola Polar Bears are a Christmas icon. Coke’s marketing campaigns are linked to sharing memories with loved ones. The iconic red and black label is also one of the most easily recognized brands in the world.

There is one drawback of the Coca-Cola love that health experts have talked about for years: Coke is full of sugar. The soda’s sugar content can be found in cans, bottles, and websites. Coca-Cola says that a 12-ounce can of classic Coke, and a Cherry Coke, contain 39 grams of sugar. This may not seem like a lot, but sugar accounts for almost all the calories in a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola. When you compare the sugar content of Coke to the adult daily sugar recommendation, you can see just how much sugar is actually in a Coke can.

Is regular soda better than diet soda?

The 39 grams of sugar in a classic Coke can be between 7.5 to 9.5 teaspoons depending on the type of sugar used. The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than six teaspoons of sugar per day, and men, nine teaspoons. This means that a can of Coke is enough sugar for a person to consume in a single day and exceeds the recommended maximum. Cherry Coke is a far cry from the maximum recommended.

Diet Coke is a popular choice for people who want to avoid the problem of sugar. Recent studies have shown that diet sodas are not much better. According to a 2018 study in Current Developments in Nutrition published in the scientific journal Current Developments in Nutrition, switching to diet sodas did not affect reducing a person’s diabetes risk.

Thirty-nine grams of sugar might not seem like much, but it is more than the body can handle. It’s not necessary to stop drinking soda, but you should treat it more as a sweet than your go-to beverage. You can find a variety of low-sugar drinks to add a little sparkle to your holiday season or a lovely summer evening.