There's nothing like a sugary, sweet snack every now and then, but too many indulgences can increase your chances of developing heart disease as you age.
A recent study indicates that people who eat a large amount of sugar regularly are more likely to have increase risk factors for heart disease.
This means they could have higher levels of triglycerides as well as lower levels of protective lipoproteins and HDL or good cholesterol.
In the study 6,000 adults were asked about their diets and then grouped by cholesterol and sugar intake.
Of those queried, about 16 percent of their daily calories came from added sugar.
People who were found to have consumed the largest amount of sugar had an intake of 46 teaspoons per day.
Those in the study who ate the least amount of sugar had ingested just three teaspoons per day.
Experts agree that the recommended daily amount of sugar is six teaspoons per day for women and nine for men.
The amount refers to sugars that have been processed or include additives, not natural sugars, such as those in fruit.
With the information learned from these studies, researchers are hoping to influence food companies to reduce or eliminate added sugars to their products to help prevent heart disease.
Some states have gone as far as taxing soft drinks as a way to reduce the consumption of sugar in the hopes of preventing obesity and related diseases.
With just a half-cent sales tax on sugary soft drinks can result in reducing the consumption of these beverages by 10 gallons each year.
That's a reduction of 50 gallons to 40 gallons.
Experts know that excess sugar consumption has a direct link to heart disease and other debilitating diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke.
Reducing your intake of sugar can only improve your health and may increase your lifespan.