New research shows that adding sugar to tea and coffee may not be harmful to your health

According to researchers, adding sugar to tea or coffee may not have any negative effects on our overall health.

Dietary advice issued by the government in 2015 urged adults to limit sugar intake to 30 grams a day – or about seven teaspoons – to protect dental health and help combat rising rates of diabetes and obesity. The NHS also suggests reducing the sugar in tea or coffee “until you can avoid it completely” or using artificial sweeteners instead.

However, a new study found no link between sweetening the drinks and an increased risk of diabetes and premature death.

Dutch, Danish and British scientists analyzed data from the Copenhagen Male Study, which has tracked and tested men since the 1970s. It was unclear how much sugar the men in the study added to their hot drinks, but overall those who admitted to adding sugar to their tea or coffee were no more likely to have health problems than those who said they did do not have.

Weight loss expert Dr. Sarah Stombaugh said, “This [research] shows that adding small amounts of sugar to our diet is possible without serious risks.

“There was no statistically significant association between the use of sugar in tea and coffee and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer mortality, or diabetes mortality,” the authors wrote.

Despite this finding, a recent major analysis concluded that high sugar consumption “does more harm than good to health, particularly in cardiovascular disease” – including heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. Analysis of 73 large-scale studies and more than 8,600 scientific articles found significant harmful links between sugar consumption, metabolic disorders and heart problems.

High sugar consumption – including sweetened beverages – has also been associated with weight gain.

“It is recommended to reduce added sugar consumption to less than six teaspoons per day and limit sugar-sweetened beverages to less than one serving per week to reduce the harmful effects of sugar,” says the British Medical Journal.

Commenting on these conflicting results, weight loss expert Dr. Sarah Stombaugh told Medical News Today, “It [research] shows that adding small amounts of sugar to our diet is possible without serious risks.

“At home, you probably add less sugar than in flavored coffee from a cafe.”