Aaccording to a recent review that appeared in BMJ, high consumption of added sugar, at least 6 teaspoons a day, is associated with several adverse health outcomes, such as weight gain, gout, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancer types.
The current review comprised 73 meta-analyses and more than 8,500 articles. The authors aimed to investigate how dietary sugar consumption affected health outcomes. Namely, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, which can be a significant source of added sugar. The analysis has shown that increased sugar consumtion is associated with 45 health conditions, including depression, dental problems, and asthma in children.
Dr. Felix Spiegel, a bariatric surgeon at Memorial Hermann in Houston, Texas, who was also not involved in the study, comments on the results of the study: “The review findings are very impressive and convincing. Excess sugar intake greatly increases metabolic disease such as diabetes, cancer risk, heart disease, psychological disorders, and tooth problems.”