According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database, a 12-ounce can of cola has 33 grams of sugar and about 136 calories (doesn’t matter if it’s Coca-Cola, Pepsi or any other brand).
That’s roughly equivalent to eight teaspoons of granulated white sugar.
Eight teaspoons of sugar seems like a lot, right? It is. A typical 16-ounce bottle of soda has 44 grams sugar or about 11 teaspoons. Interestingly, the USDA notes that retail soda (the stuff you buy in the can at the store) has more sugar than the fountain soda you get from fast food restaurants (they’re served with ice that takes up some space in the cup).
Here’s the sugar and calorie content for a cup of soda from a typical fountain:
12-ounce cup (child size): 23 grams sugar and 95 calories
16-ounce cup (small): 31 grams sugar and 128 calories
21-ounce cup (medium): 44 grams sugar and 180 calories
32-ounce cup (large): 65 grams sugar and 267 calories
The sugar and calorie count for soda is going to be about the same for any other sweetened soft drink. The problem is sugary soda is just calories. There really isn’t any other nutritional value, other than water, plus a little phosphorus and fluoride.