In the United States today, one in eleven people has type 2 diabetes- that’s approximately 30 million adults. An additional 86 million have borderline diabetes or ‘prediabetes’ as it is known in medical circles. Nearly 40 percent of Americans have some form of insulin resistance and many of those people will eventually develop outright diabetes. A new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings offers a suggestion as to why those numbers are so astronomical.

High-fructose corn syrup, the perennial boogyman of healthy living, is now joined by sucrose and fructose as the most likely factors in the development of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. These ‘added sugars’ can be found in over 75 percent of the packaged food and drinks in America, according to the report.

The study was conducted by Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. The researchers reviewed the findings of several clinical studies and observational trials and concluded that it was the excessive consumption of added sugars that disturbed the metabolism and caused insulin resistance. The study also found fructose and sucrose had negative effects on cholesterol and blood pressure.

Meanwhile, natural sugars such as glucose or starch caused no adverse effects. Nor did the low concentrations of fructose naturally found in fruits and vegetables.

Currently, there are no limitations to the amount of added sugars food or beverages contain. Nutrition labels often do not disclose what type of sugars are in the food. Though certainly an underestimate, the authors believe the typical American consumes at least 83 grams of fructose a day. Last month, in a similar study, Medical News Today reported that female mice given the same proportion of added sugar as the average American consumes daily had significantly reduced lifespans.

“There is no biological need for any added sugars in the diet, particularly those containing fructose,” said the study’s lead author James DiNicolantonio. “At an individual level, limiting consumption of foods and beverages that contain added sugars, particularly added fructose, may be one of the most effective strategies for ensuring one’s robust future health.”