An LA Times article reports to keep sugar consumption to less than 6 teaspoons a day. Too much sugar not only makes us gain pesky adipose tissue (fat), but it also makes us sick.

“In the past, experts focused on obesity and cavities as the primary health problems related to over-consumption of added sugars. But recent studies have linked the sweeteners directly to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver cirrhosis and dementia, among other chronic health problems,” Schmidt wrote. Read the full article here.

The results are in and sugar’s not just making you gain unwanted fat, it’s making you sick. Metabolic Syndrome leads to coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes and “is the result of insulin resistance, which appears to be a direct result of consumption of added sugars.”

The scariest part of all, it’s hidden in our processed foods. Many seemingly healthy yogurts pack twice the sugar as sugary cereals. Be especially aware of foods marketed to children. Read your labels and steer clear of packaged foods as often as possible. The industry will likely be forced to make changes to their ingredients, but not soon enough.

For more information on sugar, salt and fats in the food industry, please see New York Times article,  The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food.

For more on the toxicity of sugar, please see Mark Bittman’s It’s the Sugar Folks.