A study reveals that consuming too much “free sugar” has 45 adverse health impacts.

A recent study published in The BMJ lists at least 45 reasons to limit the intake of free or added sugar to less than 10% of a person’s daily caloric intake. The research shows that high consumption of added sugar is linked to negative health outcomes, including diabetes, gout, obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, cancer, asthma, tooth decay, depression and early death. Free sugars are those added during the processing of foods, packaged as table sugar and other sweeteners, or naturally occurring in syrups, honey, fruit juice, vegetable juice, purees, pastes and similar products where the cellular structure of the food has been broken down. Participants who consumed high amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages had a higher body weight than those with the lowest intake.

The authors recommend reducing sugar-sweetened beverages to less than one serving per week and limiting free sugar intake to less than 25 grams, or about 6 teaspoons, per day. The study’s authors suggest that a combination of public health education and policies worldwide is urgently needed to change sugar consumption patterns. To begin reducing sugar intake, the authors suggest reading nutrition labels, opting for water sweetened with fruit slices, and having fresh or frozen fruit for dessert. They also suggest getting good-quality sleep on a regular basis to reduce the desire for sugar.