Sugar causes excess body weight, study shows

New evidence shows the link between sugar consumption and obesity.

Researchers at the University of Otago found that cutting down on sugar has a small but significant effect on weight loss.

The study commissioned by the World Health Organization, which has already said that sugars added to food should only be about 10 percent of calories.

The study looked at a number of previous trials and findings.

Researchers looked at data from 8000 trials and 10,000 cohort studies – 68 of the studies looked specifically at sugars and body weight.

WebMd said the study said that cutting down sugars to recommended levels led to a reduction of nearly two pounds in study participants.

The results in children were less clear than in adults, however, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Given that weight loss comes from a variety of factors, it is not surprising that reducing sugar only had a small effect.

A separate commentary in the same journal said the results were conclusive.

"Reducing the amount of sugar consumed in drinks deserves special attention because of the strength of the evidence and the ease with which excessive sugar is consumed in this form," wrote researchers from Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, according to Voxy.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal.