• A 2025 Brigham Young University meta-analysis of more than 500,000 people found that the source of sugar — whether in drinks, desserts, or whole foods — can influence the risk of type 2 diabetes.
  • A 2024 study from Lund University examined nearly 70,000 participants to understand how different forms of added sugar relate to cardiovascular disease.
  • Together, these findings suggest that not all sugars, or the ways we consume them, affect long-term health in the same way.

In 1977, The New York Times investigated whether sugar was a “villain in disguise,” laying out a case against the sweetener. Around that time, the paper reported, a Senate committee on nutrition began urging Americans to curb their intake. However, that warning appears to have had little to no effect, as added sugar consumption increased by 30% from 1977 to 2010. In 2020, the U.S. government reiterated its warning, urging Americans to limit added sugar intake to no more than 6% of daily calories. As one recent study suggests, however, authorities may want to be more specific about which type of sugar to avoid, as a little slice of cake may not be what you should be worried about. 

In 2024, researchers from Lund University published findings in Frontiers of Public Health on added sugar intake and its association with the incidence of various cardiovascular diseases. To examine these associations, the researchers collected data from two cohort studies, the Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men, both of which included diet questionnaires and tracked participants from 1997 to 2009. 

The team parsed the data, removing exclusionary material, including independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and ended with a massive sample size of almost 70,000 people. Next, they analyzed that group’s sugar consumption across three categories: sugar “toppings” like honey, treats like cookies and pastries, and sweetened beverages like soda. They also tracked the incidence of seven cardiovascular diseases: two types of stroke, heart attacks, heart failure, aortic aneurysms, atrial fibrillation, and aortic stenosis.

Then, they tracked those nearly 70,000 people until they either died or reached the follow-up period in 2019. During that 10-year window, 25,739 participants were diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease. The team used those participants’ data to categorize the different types of sugar and their effects on various cardiovascular diseases. They found that consuming sweet drinks was “worse for your health than any other form of sugar” because it appears to increase the risk of ischemic stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and abdominal aortic aneurysm.

“Liquid sugars, found in sweetened beverages, typically provide less satiety than solid forms — they make you feel less full — potentially leading to overconsumption,” Suzanne Janzi, PhD candidate at Lund University and the article’s corresponding author, said in a statement. “Context also matters — treats are often enjoyed in social settings or special occasions, while sweetened beverages might be consumed more regularly.”

In defense of other vehicles for added sugar, the researchers found that enjoying an occasional treat was actually associated with better health outcomes than abstaining from sweets entirely. 

“This might reflect underlying dietary behaviors — individuals consuming very little sugar might have very restrictive diets or might be limiting sugar due to pre-existing health conditions,” Janzi explained. “While our observational study cannot establish causation, these findings suggest that extremely low sugar intake may not be necessary or beneficial for cardiovascular health.”

This isn’t the only study to suggest a stark difference in health effects between consuming added sugar in treats like cake and pastries and in fizzy drinks. In 2025, researchers at Brigham Young University published an extensive study in the journal Advances in Nutrition that also explored the effects of dietary sugar intake and found that the source of sugar can make all the difference. 

Their work included a massive meta-analysis of data collected from over 500,000 people across Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States, which they used to examine the “dose-response relationship between dietary sugar intake” and the incidence of type 2 diabetes. They found that sugars in products such as soda and juice are more consistently linked to higher rates of type 2 diabetes, whereas natural sugars, including those in whole fruits, could actually protect against it. 

“This is the first study to draw clear dose-response relationships between different sugar sources and type 2 diabetes risk,” Karen Della Corte, lead author and a BYU nutritional science professor, said in a statement at the time. “It highlights why drinking your sugar, whether from soda or juice, is more problematic for health than eating it.”

While researchers from both studies said more work is needed, Della Corte argued that rather than condemning all added sugars, “future dietary guidelines might consider the differential effects of sugar based on its source and form.”

Reviewed by

Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD, CLEC: Lauren is an award-winning registered dietitian and three-time book author, with more than 22 years in the field.