**5. The concept of added sugar in SSBs**

Added sugars are sugars and syrups such as sucrose and high fructose corn syrup added to different types of food and beverages during the preparation or processing stages [16]. SSBs come in the form of drinks, from sports drinks, and fruit drinks to ice tea and coffee [8]. Sugar found in fruit, milk or nuts are naturally occurring, meaning that they are not added through an artificial process, therefore they do not fall under the abovementioned group of added sugars [16].

In a study conducted by Erzse et al. [12], and Vorster et al. [20], it was found that to reduce the risk of becoming obese, consumers should ensure that the total energy intake from SSBs does not exceed 10% of added sugars. Further, Vorster et al. [20] found that there is a 'positive correlation between the consumption of added sugar and Body Mass Index (BMI)'. Interestingly, men and women differ in their intake of sugar, which results in a difference in the relationships between their dietary intake versus their BMI.
