Americans love sugar, with average consumption of the sweet at record numbers. But recent attacks from consumer advocates and regulatory agencies are bad news for the sugar industry.

The latest came last week, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a long-awaited proposal urging Americans to limit their sugar intake to no more than 50 grams a day, according to Business Insider. The amount is about as much as sugar as found in one-and-a-half cans of cola.

Health experts say that excess sugar consumption has been linked to weight gain, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Sugary beverages have come under particular scrutiny. A 2006 study published by the American Society for Clinical Nutrition linked the amount of sugared drinks one consumes with increasing risks of obesity and associated health problems. A 2009 study in the New England Journal of Medicine confirmed the connection.

Metabolic syndrome relates to how sugar is processed in the body. Unlike other carbohydrates, sugar is broken down very rapidly and tends to raise blood glucose levels dramatically. Many nutritionists believe this has a significant impact on the risk of diabetes and obesity.

What’s worse for soda consumers, the sweet drinks tend to have no redeeming nutritional value, unlike fruit that may be sweet but also provides other nutrients. The “empty” calories from soda tend to add to weight gain due to their calories and also because they are not filling, so soda drinkers still tend to eat as much as others who drink low or no calorie beverages.

Studies suggest that, for most Americans, cutting calories has a greater effect on weight loss than exercise.

Various localities are now taking aim at new regulations intended to curb consumption of soda. A New York proposal to ban over-sized drink sales failed, but Berkeley has taxed soda and San Francisco recently required warning labels on drinks with added sugar.