35 Worst Sodas for Your Health

For many people, it's not much of a secret how bad drinking soda can be for your overall health. If you happen to sip on a can of soda every day, then you're really in the danger zone. Drinking soda daily can lead you to not only gain weight, but as some research notes, you're also working toward shortening your lifespan. And it doesn't matter which type of soda you drink, either. Whether it's a diet variety, a fruit-flavored soda, or a Coke can, unfortunately, you're still harming your health.

Aside from the fact that these drinks are loaded with chemicals and can even be alarmingly high in calories, the biggest problem with soda is the amount of added sugar they contain. Frequent consumption of added sugars, especially in sugar-sweetened beverages, can be a big factor in why you can't lose that abdominal fat. Additionally, it can negatively impact your mood and can even increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. And some of the worst sodas out there contain more added sugar than multiple donuts or a pint of ice cream.

To find out which sodas are the absolute worst to buy, we looked at which fizzy beverages are currently on the market and ranked them from bad to worst. To rank each one, we mainly took the total amount of added sugar into account, as well as other potential factors like artificial dyes and other unwanted ingredients. Read on to learn the worst sodas on grocery store shelves right now, then check out the 100 Unhealthiest Foods on the Planet.

Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla

Dr. Pepper's Cherry Vanilla soda has 38 grams of sugar in just one small can. It may be delicious, but considering that you'll likely consume other added sugar calories throughout the day, taking in more than your entire daily recommended amount in one drink seems risky.

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Pibb Xtra

Pibb Xtra is described as "an extra bold, extra good" soda with a "spicy cherry taste." While that might pique your interest, the 38 grams of sugar per can should stop you right in your tracks.

Starry Lemon Lime

If you're a fan of the lemon-lime combination in sodas, chances are you'll love this can of Starry soda. However, what you may not love is the 39 grams of added sugar, which already puts you over the edge of your recommended daily max.

Dr. Pepper Strawberries & Cream

There's no doubt that a strawberries & cream soda sounds absolutely delicious, but 39 grams of added sugar per can is way too high. You're better off trying this strawberry vanilla soda instead.

Dr Pepper

In case you were wondering, this soda was not formulated by an actual doctor. With 240 calories and 65 grams of sugar per bottle, that should be quite obvious.

Pepsi Vanilla

Pepsi added a dash of vanilla to its original flavor and again, that's not making it any healthier. And even though their packaging advertises the use of "real sugar," it's still a whopping 66 grams in each bottle.

Pepsi

The classic Pepsi flavor actually has a few more grams of sugar than the vanilla variety, but neither choice are healthy. We know the crisp taste of this soda is quite satisfying, so if you must have some, try drinking half the bottle or choosing a smaller size.

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Pepsi Wild Cherry

The Wild Cherry flavor of Pepsi has a bit more sugar than Dr Pepper's version. In fact, this bottle has as much sugar as 25 pieces of Sour Patch Watermelon candies. Scary!

Coca-Cola Vanilla

Coca-Cola's Vanilla soda is also coming in at 260 calories per bottle and 70 grams of sugar, like the Wild Cherry Pepsi. Whatever your flavor preference may be, you'll be picking your poison either way.

Barq's Root Beer

You may not think that root beer would be one of the higher-sugar sodas out there, but a can of Barq's Root Beer has more added sugars than a can of Dr. Pepper, Pepsi Vanilla, or Vanilla Coke.

Barq's Creme Soda French Vanilla

This take on creme soda from Barq's adds a hint of vanilla for an even cozier, creamier flavor. Even though this canned soda will surely satisfy a sweet craving, the shocking 45 grams of added sugar in just a 12-ounce serving isn't worth it.

Mello Yello

The name of this citrus-flavored soda might make it seem like it's a chill, refreshing drink. But one can of Mello Yello contains nearly 200 calories and 50 grams of sugar. That's nothing to be calm about!

Fanta Piña Colada

Fanta debuted this soda flavor in 2020, which was described as a drink that tastes like a vacation. Well, the sugar here is just through the roof, with one 20-ounce bottle packing as much of the sweet stuff as you would get from 20 Oreo Thin cookies.

Nitro Pepsi

If you're someone who likes the smooth, rich texture of a nitro cold brew or a beer on tap, you may certainly appreciate a can of Nitro Pepsi—which is Pepsi infused with nitrogen. Unfortunately, though, in just a 13.64-ounce can, you're getting a whopping 63 grams of sugar.

Sprite

Sprite is a classic lemon-lime soda, but just one bottle contains more sugar than 13 Oreo cookies. Imagine having that much sugar from just one drink without factoring in anything else you might decide to eat or drink that day.

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Coca-Cola Cherry Vanilla

Coca-Cola came up with the grand idea to combine its beloved cherry and vanilla flavors into one soda. Although creative, this makes for a drink that is serving up 65 grams of sugar in just one bottle. And yes, that's all added sugar that you're looking at.

Mountain Dew

One bottle of Mountain Dew, and you're looking at 77 grams of sugar—this is a big yikes. If you're still unsure about any long-term damage soda can have, you might want to think about your smile. Studies have uncovered that dental erosion and severe tooth decay have been linked to frequent soft drink consumption.

Fanta Peach

Peaches are a super tasty, refreshing fruit, and biting into one will give you a mouthful of nutrients. Sadly, this isn't the case when you drink a peach-flavored soda like this one from Fanta, which serves up a scary 67 grams of added sugar per bottle.

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Fanta Berry

There are no actual berries in this bright blue soda from Fanta. Not only is the high sugar count concerning at 67 grams per bottle, but the use of the artificial dye Blue 1 makes this soda choice even more unappealing.

Crush Grape

For many people, grape soda was a classic childhood staple. But regardless of the nostalgia, the grape soda from Crush isn't the best when it comes to your health, with one bottle dishing out 71 grams of added sugar. Not only that, but it uses artificial dyes Red 40 and Blue 1, which have been found to potentially cause allergic reactions in children and adults.

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A&W Root Beer

Seeing that this bottle of A&W Root Beer has 72 grams of sugar, it's shocking to think about how much sugar you would be having if you turned this into a root beer float.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Mountain Dew Major Melon

According to the Mountain Dew website, this fun member of the Dew lineup is said to bring a "never-ending funhouse at Major Melon land through a burst of watermelon flavor." Actual watermelon can help you lose weight and is said to help improve your heart health, but you're not going to get that here.

Fanta Grape

Grapes are a healthy snack to munch on when you want something sweet, especially because they provide a nice amount of potassium per serving. Sadly, you can't expect any of these benefits from grape soda, especially when versions like this one from Fanta carry 73 grams of added sugar per bottle!

Crush Watermelon

Fruit-flavored sodas are often the worst culprits when it comes to added sugars, and Crush Watermelon is no exception. With 74 grams of sugar per bottle, you're better off leaving this one at the store.

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Sun Drop Citrus

Sip on a bottle of the citrus-flavored Sun Drop soda, and you're consuming as much sugar as you would get from three full-sized Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars.

Sunkist Strawberry

A strawberry soda sounds intriguing, and the color of this Sunkist drink is eye-catching, to say the least. Take a look at the nutrition, though, and those 75 grams of sugar are enough to scare you away for good.

Mountain Dew Code Red

Mountain Dew's Code Red flavor is a cherry-based soda that serves up 76 grams of the sweet stuff. Because of this, the famous red drink should get a skip.

Mountain Dew Voltage

The Dew strikes yet again, this time with its Voltage soda, which is said to be "charged with raspberry citrus flavor and ginseng." Have you ever actually seen a blue raspberry, though?

Sunkist Peach

Peaches are low in calories (around 50 for a medium-sized one) and yet high in fiber, as well as vitamins E, C, and K. Overall, it's a fruit that can majorly help your immune system. So, to see Sunkist's peach-flavored soda is packing 76 grams of added sugar is quite sad.

Crush Strawberry

Crush's Strawberry Soda is packed to the brim with 76 grams of sugar. You're much better off mixing a 100% fruit juice with some sparkling water for a bubbly, fruity beverage.

Mug Cream Soda

Cream soda is known for its vanilla flavor that is reminiscent of ice cream, but Mug's version is loaded up with 79 grams of added sugar—that's almost as much as an entire pint of Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean ice cream.

Fanta Pineapple

Sensing a trend among these fruit-flavored sodas? Eating an actual pineapple has plenty of upsides, such as helping to aid digestion and boost your mood—both of which, as you can imagine, are lost in this Fanta soda.

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Crush Peach

More than 300 calories and 81 grams of sugar for a bottle of Crush's Peach soda? If you're really in the mood for some peach flavor, we highly suggest eating the actual fruit instead.

Sunkist Pineapple

Another pineapple soda makes the list, and it's even worse than the Fanta offering. Sunkist's version of this fruity drink comes in at 83 grams of sugar, more than you would get if you ate three of McDonald's Vanilla Ice Cream Cones.

Crush Pineapple

If you chowed down on eight Original Glazed Krispy Kreme donuts, you would still consume less sugar than you would get from this one bottle of Crush Pineapple soda. Plus, this soda has the same amount of calories as two bags of Lay's Classic Potato Chips. Those are more than enough reasons to never go near this drink!

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