The average American, whether young or old, consumes about 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day — or around 270 extra, empty calories. About 50% of those calories come from sugary drinks.

We've said over and over that added sugars and syrups are a risky indulgence, fueling inflammation, obesity, diabetes, some cancers, and heart disease.

Research now shows getting that dangerous dose of sugars from beverages may be the riskiest way of all.

A long-term study in the journal Frontiers of Public Health found that for almost 70,000 Swedish men and women 45-83, it was sweetened beverages (sodas, juices, and sports drinks, for example) that created the greatest risk for ischemic stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Add to that the findings of another study, published in Nature, that drinking fructose-laced beverages (and eating processed foods) allows the liver to dish up a steady supply of nutrients that are used by cancer cells, fueling melanoma, breast cancer, and cervical cancer.

But that first study also found people who didn't drink sweetened beverages or eat lots of added sugars weren't necessarily dodging heart disease.

Here’s what we think:

• They may be indulging in artificial sweeteners, which promote overeating and harm heart health.

• To make up for missing sweets, they eat too many unhealthy fats, which damage cardiovascular health too.

The smart move is to enjoy naturally sweet fruits (whole, not juiced) and check ingredient labels for added sugars such as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and fructose.