Changing consumption patterns
U.S. adults consumed nearly 40% more calories from coffee drinks in 2018 than they did in 2003, despite drinking a relatively stable amount of approximately 13 ounces per person daily. A study published Oct. 19 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics analyzed dietary data from 30,459 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that average daily calorie intake from coffee rose from 43 to 60 over that 15-year period. The biggest driver of this increase was nondairy creamer, which provided 19 calories daily in 2018 compared to 8 calories in 2003. While dairy milk remained the most common addition by weight at 21.4 grams per person daily, sugar and syrups contributed 16 calories daily, whereas dairy milk contributed 11 calories. Nondairy creamer consumption grew from 3.37 to 8 grams daily, and nondairy milk rose from 0.27 to 2.45 grams, while sugar additions were 4.4 grams in 2018. These shifts in consumption coincide with 2025 sales data from the Good Food Institute, which reported that plant-based coffee creamers gained 2% in both dollar and unit sales, while conventional creamers recorded 4% dollar growth and 2% unit growth.
Nutritional shifts and health risks
The rise in calorie-dense additives clearly changes the nutritional profile of the beverage. A 2026 study involving 167,000 adults linked unsweetened coffee to reduced cardiovascular disease risk, but research from 2025 found that adding sugar or artificial sweeteners weakened the association between coffee and reduced type 2 diabetes risk. "Coffee consumption has been associated with several health benefits. However, coffee is often accompanied by the addition of sugar and cream, which can contribute to an increased consumption of calories from added sugar and saturated fat," senior author Fang Fang Zhang said. Lead author Yongyi Pan noted that nondairy creamers can be high in saturated fat. This is problematic because a 2025 Tufts study involving 46,000 adults linked black coffee and coffee with relatively little added sugar or saturated fat to reduced mortality risk, while coffee with higher amounts of those ingredients did not show the same association. A recent review exploring coffee and high-fructose diets suggested that coffee compounds may help counteract certain metabolic effects of high fructose consumption. The study documented consumption trends using self-reported dietary information, which can be affected by incomplete reporting. The researchers also cautioned that the data end in 2018, meaning the findings do not establish whether the trend toward higher-calorie coffee drinks continued in subsequent years.
