Obvious, But True: Your Favorite Coffee Drinks Are Making You Fat

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If you like to order a sugary coffee drink to kickstart your morning, it should come as no surprise that you're getting a lot more than just a caffeine fix in your cup. But depending on what you get, you could actually be slurping up an entire day's worth of sugar, fat, and calories, according to a new study out of Australia.

Many Australians -- just like Americans -- depend on swinging by a local coffee shop for their daily Joe, and researchers at the Cancer Council NSW there said many sugary coffee drink options are contributing to the nation's obesity problem because, basically, they're stupidly bad for you. The study looked at more than 500 beverages from popular java-slinging chains in Australia, some of which you may recognize from the US, such as Gloria Jeans and McDonald's McCafé. Ultimately, the researchers determined that some iced coffees and chocolaty drinks could contain more than half the amount of sugar you should have in a day -- all in a single serving, according to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Unfortunately, sugar isn't the only issue. The study also points to some large hot coffee beverages that could account for more than half your daily allowance of saturated fat, and at least one iced drink contained more than 1.5 times that recommendation, per the report. As much as 63% of the population in Australia is considered overweight or obese, so it's no surprise that health officials are calling out what they deem to be major culprits behind the epidemic. Similarly, nearly 69% of Americans are overweight or obese.

With that said, you should think twice about that large mocha frappe with extra whipped cream, if you don't want a side of love handle to go with it. A regular coffee should do.

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Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist and won't let a study get in the way of him enjoying an indulgent latte, occasionally. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.