According to the Nature's Sunhine blog, "In 1822, the average American consumed 45 grams of sugar (the average amount of a 12-ounce soda) EVERY 5 DAYS. Today, Americans average 765 grams of sugar every 5 days and about 3 pounds of sugar every week!
And many still wonder why there's a rise in obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Refined sugar is linked to those things and hypertension, aching limbs, high blood pressure, depression, acne, headaches, fatigue, stiffening of arteries, violence, nervous tension and more. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 9.5 teaspoons of sugar per day and the average adult averages 22 teaspoons per day. And even worse, the average child averages 32 teaspoons per day."

Here is a great infographic from Online Nursing Programs that shows the sugar consumption issue very well.

Created by: http://www.onlinenursingprograms.com/

There are some much healthier alternatives to sugar, like natural honey, molasses, xylitol and stevia.