Here’s Who’s Drinking The Most Sugary Beverages

At this point, we probably don’t need to tell you that sugar-sweetened beverages are bad for you. But to hammer home the basics, the high sugar content in the drinks have been linked to weight gain, type-2 diabetes and have been fingered as a factor contributing the obesity epidemic in the U.S.

The CDC released a recent report that compiled and analyzed the drinking habits of over 38,970 adults in six states and were able to determine who is drinking the most sugary drinks. Almost 24% of adults drank at least on sugar-sweetened beverage a day. But the odds of drinking more than that were much more common among young black men. Consumption was also more common in adults with lower levels of education and low-income adults, as well as people residing in Delaware, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Not surprisingly, people with healthy habits—regular exercise, regular consumption of fresh fruit—were less likely to drink sugary drinks. Also not surprising: inactive people who spend lots of time plopped infront of the TV tend to eat more junk food, drink more sugary drinks and have a higher BMI, according to new research from the University of Gothenburg.

The CDC hopes its new data will help states target those groups more likely to drink lots of soda and sugary juice—and provide interventions, like targeted education about the risks of too much sugar.