Sugary drinks are very bad for your health, but an occasional piece of cake is not, scientists have found.

Researchers have studied the effect of sugar intake on health and found that increased sugar intake increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, but that sweetened beverages are particularly dangerous.

On the other hand, extremely low sugar intake is also associated with poorer cardiovascular health, and people who occasionally eat sweets had the lowest risk of heart disease, the study reported. "Frontiers".

"The most striking finding in our study is the different relationships between different sources of sugar and the risk of cardiovascular disease. This surprising contrast highlights the importance of not only monitoring the amount of sugar you consume, but also its source," said Susan Janzi, a doctoral student at Lund University and one of the authors of the study published in the journal. "Frontiers in Public Health."

Scientists followed 69.705 people during the study from 1997 to 2009. They divided the sugar they consumed into three groups – additives like honey, sweets and carbonated drinks – and tracked the occurrence of 7 heart diseases: two types of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, aortic aneurysm, atrial stenosis and atrial fibrillation. During that period, 25.739 people developed heart disease.

Scientists have determined that sugary drinks are much more dangerous than other sugars consumed, but that more research is needed to better understand this mechanism.