Eating normal amounts of sugar doesn’t make your blood pressure go up, raise uric acid (which can cause gout), or cause fat to build up in your liver — unlike what some people claim.

Eating a lot of added sugars, especially fructose, might raise your blood pressure over time—studies show an average increase of about 7 points for the top number and 6 points for the bottom number after eating lots of sugar for at least two months.

Back when people were told to eat less fat and more carbs, sugar intake went up—and so did heart disease and obesity. Now scientists are wondering if sugar, not fat, might be the real problem.

If you eat more than 74 grams of fructose a day—like from sugary drinks or sweets—you’re much more likely to have high blood pressure, especially readings like 160/100 or higher.

Even though people are eating less cholesterol, more people are dying from heart disease — so maybe sugar, especially fructose, is to blame instead.

Eating too much fructose, like the sugar in soda and candy, can raise a substance in your blood called uric acid, which may damage your blood vessels and raise your blood pressure, making your heart more at risk.