Snapple: what research on sweet and diet drinks can tell you about a bottled tea

We found no study that tested Snapple by name, so this page rests on research into sugary and artificially sweetened drinks in general. The strongest result pools 14 randomized trials lasting 3 to 76 weeks: replacing sugary drinks with artificially sweetened ones lowered body weight by 1.6 lb (0.73 kg) and body fat by 0.72 percent, with inconsistent effects on blood sugar and heart markers. The same review also drew on 20 reviews of cohort studies followed for up to 34 years. There, higher intake of both kinds of drink was associated with more type 2 diabetes, heart disease and death, with similar relative risks for each. That half is observational, and the long-term safety of sweetened drinks is still unresolved. USDA lists only two Snapple products, diet peach and diet lemon tea, at 2 calories and 0 g sugar per 3.5 oz (100 g). The regular sweetened teas and juice drinks have no USDA record, so we cannot give you their sugar content.

How much is actually in it

• USDA lists diet Snapple peach and lemon teas at 2 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), with 0 g sugar, 19-20 mg potassium and 3 mg sodium, so the diet versions carry almost no nutrients. — USDA SR Legacy records for SNAPPLE tea, black and green, ready to drink, diet (peach and lemon) (n = 2 records) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: energy 2 calories, sugars 0 g, protein 0.1 g, potassium 19-20 mg, sodium 3 mg, vitamin C 0 mg
• Laboratory measurement of teas and iced teas on the Austrian market found caffeine between 13 and 183 mg per liter. — 124 caffeinated products incl. teas and iced teas, Austria (n = 124 products) Evidence D source
  Caffeine 13-183 mg/l in tea and ice teas

What it does to your health

• In a 12-week randomized trial in overweight adults drinking at least 22 fl oz (660 ml) of sugary drinks a day, switching to artificially sweetened drinks cut liver fat to 74% of its starting level. — 31 overweight adults (BMI above 25) drinking at least 22 fl oz (660 ml) sugar-sweetened beverages daily, 27 completed, 12 weeks (n = 31) Evidence B source
  Intrahepatic fat fell to 74% of baseline with ASB (N = 14, P < 0.05), no change in control; no effect on body weight or visceral fat
• Observational data link sugar-sweetened soda with 18% and artificially sweetened soda with 59% higher risk of obesity. — 11 studies on sugar-sweetened soda and 3 on artificially sweetened soda (n = 14 studies) Evidence C source
  Obesity RR 1.18 (95% CI 1.10-1.27) sugar soda, RR 1.59 (1.22-2.08) diet soda
• Observational data link each extra 250 g a day of sugar-sweetened drinks with 26% and of artificially sweetened drinks with 10% higher hypertension risk. — 35 cohort and cross-sectional studies (n = 35 studies) Evidence C source
  Hypertension RR 1.26 (95% CI 1.15-1.37) SSB and 1.10 (1.07-1.13) ASB per 250 g/day

Safety, limits and interactions

• Observational data from 12 cohorts of 1.2 million people link one or more artificially sweetened drinks a day with a 14% higher risk of death from any cause. — twelve prospective cohorts, 1,224,560 participants (n = 1224560) Evidence C source
  All-cause mortality HR 1.14 (95% CI 1.03-1.26), cardiovascular mortality HR 1.29 (1.1-1.53), stroke HR 1.15 (1.01-1.32)
• WHO's cancer agency classed aspartame as possibly carcinogenic in 2023, while JECFA kept the safe intake at 40 mg per kg body weight, which a 154 lb (70 kg) adult reaches only above 9 to 14 cans of diet soft drink a day. — adults, WHO IARC and JECFA joint assessment, July 2023 Evidence E source
  IARC Group 2B (limited evidence); ADI 0-40 mg/kg body weight unchanged

What people believe that the data does not support

• An audit of 945 sugary drink labels found 87.7% presented as better for you, most often iced teas, sports drinks, coconut waters and juices, despite 8.3 g sugar per 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) on average. — 945 sugar-containing beverage labels in 17 grocery stores, Adelaide, 2016 (n = 945) Evidence C source
  87.7% of labels with better-for-you features; mean sugar 8.3 g/100 ml

Who this works differently for

• In an 18-month randomized trial in 641 children aged about 5 to 12, swapping one 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) sugary drink a day for a sugar-free one cut weight gain by about 2.2 lb (1 kg). — 641 mostly normal-weight children aged 4 years 10 months to 11 years 11 months, Netherlands, 18 months (n = 641) Evidence B source
  Weight gain 14 lb (6.35 kg) sugar-free vs 16 lb (7.37 kg) sugar group (95% CI for difference -3.4 to -1.1 lb (-1.54 to -0.48 kg)); BMI z-score +0.02 vs +0.15
• Among 686 college students, about 36% mixed alcohol with diet drinks, and those who did reported more alcohol-related problems. — 686 undergraduate students (73% female), United States (n = 686) Evidence C source
  36.2% used diet mixers; more alcohol-related problems after adjusting for typical drinking

What is still unknown

• Pooling 14 randomized trials of 3 to 76 weeks, replacing sugary drinks with artificially sweetened ones lowered body weight by 1.6 lb (0.73 kg), while cohort data tie long-term use of both kinds to higher diabetes and heart risk. — 14 RCTs (3-76 weeks) and 20 systematic reviews of cohort studies (up to 34 years) (n = 14 RCTs) Evidence A source
  Body weight -1.6 lb (-0.73 kg), body fat -0.72%; cohort relative risks for ASBs similar to SSBs

The bottom line

The trials say sugar in a daily drink adds up. In an 18-month randomized trial in 641 mostly normal-weight Dutch children aged about 5 to 12, those given a 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) sugar-free drink each day gained 14 lb (6.35 kg) against 16 lb (7.37 kg) on a similar sugary drink (95% CI for the difference -3.4 to -1.1 lb (-1.54 to -0.48 kg)). The drinks came masked from the schools, and 26 percent of children stopped drinking them. In 31 overweight adults who drank at least 22 fl oz (660 ml) of sugary drinks a day, switching to sweetened ones for 12 weeks brought liver fat down to 74 percent of its starting level in the 14 who switched, with no change in body weight. Observational numbers point the other way for diet drinks, and they are harder to read. Pooled studies link sugar-sweetened soda with an 18 percent and diet soda with a 59 percent higher risk of obesity, the second figure resting on only three studies of soda, not tea. Each extra 250 g a day is associated with 26 percent higher hypertension risk for sugary drinks and 10 percent for sweetened ones. Twelve cohorts of 1.2 million people tie one or more sweetened drinks a day to a 14 percent higher risk of death from any cause (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.26). People who are already at risk often switch to diet drinks, which can produce exactly this pattern without the drink causing anything. Iced teas in Austrian shops carried between 13 and 183 mg of caffeine per liter, a range for local brands, not Snapple. An audit of 945 sugary drink labels in Adelaide found 87.7 percent dressed up as better for you, iced teas among the most common, at 8.3 g of sugar per 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) on average. Who should be careful. In 2023 WHO's cancer agency classed aspartame as possibly carcinogenic on limited evidence, while JECFA kept the acceptable intake at 40 mg per kg. A 154 lb (70 kg) adult passes that only above 9 to 14 cans a day of a diet soft drink with 200 to 300 mg of aspartame. Our sources do not confirm which sweetener any Snapple product uses. People with phenylketonuria must avoid aspartame whatever the dose. Among 686 US college students, 36 percent mixed alcohol with diet drinks, and those who did reported more alcohol-related problems in a self-report survey. These teas can carry caffeine, and we have no card yet on a caffeine limit for pregnancy or for children, or on caffeine alongside medicines. This page cannot say how much caffeinated tea is too much for them, and the children's trial above tested a sugar-free drink, not iced tea.

Sources

1. snap-r7-01 · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, dataset
   Beverages, SNAPPLE, tea, black and green, ready to drink, peach, diet (FDC 173215, SR Legacy, Beverages): energy 2 kcal per 100 g; sugars 0.0 g; protein 0.1 g; potassium 19 mg; sodium 3 mg; vitamin C 0.0 mg. Beverages, SNAPPLE, tea, black and green, ready to drink, lemon, diet (FDC 173218): energy 2 kcal; sugars 0.0 g; potassium 20 mg; sodium 3 mg
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 173215 and 173218 · checked 2026-09-29
2. snap-r7-09 · food composition analysis
   Caffeine concentrations in tea and ice teas were between 13 and 183 mg l⁻¹.
   Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29
3. snap-r7-03 · randomized controlled trial
   About 31 healthy subjects with BMI greater than 25 kg/m(2) and a daily consumption of at least 660 ml SSB were randomized to a 12-week intervention in which they replaced SSBs with ASBs. ... IHCL was reduced to 74% of the initial values with ASB (N = 14; P < 0.05) but did not change with CTRL.
   Obesity (Silver Spring), 2015 · checked 2026-09-29
4. snap-r7-07 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   The pooled RR of obesity in patients consuming sugar-sweetened soda was 1.18 (95% CI, 1.10-1.27). Three studies were included to assess the association between consumption of artificially sweetened soda and obesity. The pooled RR of obesity in patients consuming artificially sweetened soda was 1.59 (95% CI, 1.22-2.08).
   QJM, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
5. snap-r7-11 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) were positively associated with hypertension risk: 1.26 (95% CI, 1.15-1.37) and 1.10 (1.07-1.13) per 250-g/day increment, respectively.
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
6. snap-r7-05 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
   We included twelve prospective cohorts comprising 1,224,560 patients. ... One or more daily dose of Artificially sweetened beverages was significantly associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.14; 95% 1.03 to 1.26; p < 0.01;), Cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.29; 95% 1.1 to 1.53; p < 0.01), and stroke (HR 1.15; 95% 1.01 to 1.32; p = 0.04;).
   Curr Probl Cardiol, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
7. snap-r7-06 · WHO agency statement
   Citing 'limited evidence' for carcinogenicity in humans, IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 2B) and JECFA reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg body weight. ... For example, with a can of diet soft drink containing 200 or 300 mg of aspartame, an adult weighing 70kg would need to consume more than 9–14 cans per day to exceed the acceptable daily intake, assuming no other intake from other food sources.
   WHO, Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
8. snap-r7-08 · cross-sectional study
   RESULTS: The mean sugar content of beverages was high at 8·3 g/100 ml and most sugar-containing beverages (87·7 %) displayed features that position them as BFY. ... Features positioning beverages as BFY were more common among certain categories of beverages, namely coconut waters, iced teas, sports drinks and juices.
   Public Health Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
9. snap-r7-02 · randomized controlled trial
   We conducted an 18-month trial involving 641 primarily normal-weight children from 4 years 10 months to 11 years 11 months of age. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 250 ml (8 oz) per day of a sugar-free, artificially sweetened beverage (sugar-free group) or a similar sugar-containing beverage that provided 104 kcal (sugar group). ... Weight increased by 6.35 kg in the sugar-free group as compared with 7.37 kg in the sugar group (95% CI for the difference, -1.54 to -0.48).
   N Engl J Med, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29
10. snap-r7-10 · cross-sectional study
    Results revealed that about 36% of the sample reported consuming alcohol with diet mixers, and users typically consumed this beverage at least once a month. Students who reported mixing alcohol with diet beverages experienced more alcohol-related problems.
    Addict Behav, 2016 · checked 2026-09-29
11. snap-r7-04 · meta-analysis of randomized trials
    RESULTS: In 14 RCTs (3-76 weeks), replacing SSBs with ASBs produced modest reductions in body weight (-0.73 kg) and body fat (-0.72%), with inconsistent effects on glycemic and cardiometabolic markers. Evidence from 20 systematic reviews of cohorts (up to 34 years follow-up) showed that higher intake of both SSBs and ASBs was associated with increased risks of T2DM, CVD, and mortality, with relative risks for ASBs similar to those for SSBs.
    Diabetes Metab J, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29