Excessive sugar intake linked with unhealthy fat deposits
Excessive sugar intake linked with unhealthy fat deposits

Sugar consumption is linked with larger fat deposits around the heart and in the abdomen, which are risky for health, finds a new study.

Excess sugar consumption is a worldwide problem.

The six countries with the highest sales of sugary drinks per capita are Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, the US, and Saudi Arabia.

The demand for sugar is expected to increase in Asia, Africa, and Russia.

This observational study examined both sugar-sweetened beverages (such as soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks) and sugar added to foods and beverages for sweetness (for example when cooking or in processed foods).

The researchers analysed the association between long-term sugar consumption and fat stores around the heart and other organs.

Researchers found that sugar intake over the 20-year period was related to fat volumes later in life.

Higher intakes of both sugar-sweetened beverages and added sugar (/topic/sugar) were related to greater fat stores around organs in a stepwise fashion.