The arrival of autumn brought with it the return of many popular seasonal drinks at some of the UK’s favourite coffee chains. Costa, Starbucks, Pret A Manger and Greggs have all updated their offerings with flavours synonymous with the cosy season of autumn.
While these delicious drinks certainly whet the appetite, diet gurus have warned that their high sugar content makes them a lot worse than it would otherwise seem. Eleven medium seasonal drinks were analysed by experts from Exante and found the worst offenders to contain as much sugar as three-and-a-half Greggs jam doughnuts in one sitting, as the Star reports.
That unfortunate accolade falls to Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, which contains 53.6g of sugar - the equivalent of 12 teaspoons. Coming in at second is Costa’s Maple Hazel Hot Chocolate and Light Dairy Swirl, which has 48.9g of sugar - or just under three-and-a-half doughnuts.
For reference, the standard daily reference intake for total sugars is 90g a day, including 30g of ‘free sugars’. As a result, people are being warned about the dangers of making these temporary drinks a regular part of their routine and diet.
Lujain Alhassan, Exante’s in-house expert nutritionist, is keen to point out that some of these drinks contain more than the daily RI for ‘free sugars’ in each regular serving. She said: “Excess consumption of sugar can have a detrimental effect on our health.
“Research shows it can contribute to weight gain, lead to tooth decay and higher blood pressure, and is associated with diet-related diseases, including an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Over-consumption may also lead to a hormone imbalance, which can affect your mood and may increase your risk of depression.
“I don't think enough people are aware of the amount of sugar in these seasonal drinks. It’s easy to switch our daily morning coffee to an autumn favourite, they’re appealing because we know they won’t be around for long, and they’re delicious and sweet which makes them addictive - but I’d advise people to go for the low-sugar, low-calorie options, or avoid consuming them regularly.
“Another option is to ask for less or no cream, less syrup or sauce, and so on, so you can still enjoy your favourite drink but in a more health-conscious way. Healthy eating is all about balance, treats can still be enjoyed but it's better not to have them all the time.”
Of the 11 drinks analysed by Exante, Starbucks offerings made up four of the top five. Their regular (grande) Pumpkin Spice Latte has 39.3g and the Salted Maple & Caramel Latte contains 41g, although its Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew comes in at just 18.5g.
Completing Costa’s Maple Hazel range is its latte - with 34.2g of sugar - and its iced latte - with 30.2g. Pret’s Pumpkin Spice Latte contains 26.2g while Greggs’ identical offering has 28g - 31% of an adult’s reference intake.
Lujain added: “These drinks contain 'empty' calories because they’re not nutritionally dense and don’t contain enough nutrients to make you feel full.”
