A literature analysis supported links between  sugar  intake and both total energy intake and body weight gain , and between sugar intake and blood triglycerides independently of total energy intake .
The effects of sugar on blood triglycerides were shown to be mediated by the fructose component of sucrose and were observed with an intake of fructose > 50 g/day .
In addition , prospect i ve cohort studies showed associations between sugar intake and the risk of diabetes/insulin resistance , cardiovascular diseases , NAFLD , and hyperuricemia .
Predictors of weight gain in a Mediterranean cohort: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra Study 1.
BACKGROUND High consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks has been associated with  weight gain and obesity in the United States . This trend may also be affecting population s with different eating patterns who increasingly are adopting typical US dietary patterns . OBJECTIVE We assessed whether the consumption of sweetened drinks and other food items increased the likelihood of weight gain in a Mediterranean population . DESIGN This was a prospect i ve cohort analysis of 7194 men and women with a mean age of 41 y who were followed-up for a median of 28.5 mo with mailed question naires . Dietary exposure was assessed with a previously vali date d semiquantitative food-frequency question naire . RESULTS During follow-up , we observed that 49.5 % of the participants increased their weight ( x weight gain : 0.64 kg ; 95 % CI : 0.55 , 0.73 kg ) . In the participants who had gained > or =3 kg in the 5 y before baseline , the adjusted odds ratio of subsequent weight gain for the fifth quintile compared with the first quintile of sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption was 1.6 ( 95 % CI : 1.2 , 2.1 ; P for trend = 0.02 ) . This association was absent in the participants who had not gained weight in the 5-y period before baseline . The consumption of hamburgers , pizza , and sausages ( as a proxy for fast-food consumption ) was also independently associated with weight gain ( adjusted odds ratio for the fifth compared with the first quintile = 1.2 ; 95 % CI : 1.0 , 1.4 ; P for trend = 0.05 ) . We also found a significant , but weaker , association between weight gain and both red meat and sweetened fruit juice consumption . CONCLUSION In a Mediterranean cohort , particularly in the participants who had already gained weight , an increased consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and of hamburgers , pizza , and sausages was associated with a higher risk of additional subsequent weight gain
A literature analysis supported links between  sugar  intake and both total energy intake and body weight gain , and between sugar intake and blood triglycerides independently of total energy intake .
The effects of sugar on blood triglycerides were shown to be mediated by the fructose component of sucrose and were observed with an intake of fructose > 50 g/day .
In addition , prospect i ve cohort studies showed associations between sugar intake and the risk of diabetes/insulin resistance , cardiovascular diseases , NAFLD , and hyperuricemia .