Sugar has been linked to numerous health issues, from high blood pressure to diabetes and much more, but new research suggests the sweet substance may be linked to gallbladder cancer.

The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, sought to uncover how sugar intake affected your gallbladder. Swedish researchers conducted a large-scale study of more than 70,000 individuals between the age of 45 and 83 years old for an average of 13 years. Each participant completed a dietary questionnaire at the beginning of the study and throughout the duration of the study. This questionnaire tracked sweetened beverage consumption, including whether the beverage was sweetened with sugar or low/no calorie sweeteners. This allowed the researchers to quantify each participant’s sugar intake.

Sugar and Gallbladder Cancer

During the follow-up period, 219 biliary tract cancers were uncovered, and 71 developed in the gallbladder itself. A review of the dietary data revealed a link between high sweetened beverage consumption and an increased likelihood of gallbladder cancer. Researchers noticed that those who consumed more than two sugary beverages a day were 2.24 times more likely to develop gallbladder cancer, and the risk jumped to 2.55 between the highest and lowest levels of sucrose intake.

“These findings support the hypothesis that high consumption of sweetened beverages may increase the risk of biliary tract cancers, particularly gallbladder cancer,” researchers wrote.

Researchers suggested that excess sugar intake might increase gallbladder cancer risk either directly by increasing levels of glucose in the body or indirectly by raising the risk of obesity, diabetes and gallstone disease.

So if you’re looking to reduce your risk of gallbladder cancer, or if you’re simply looking to be healthier, try cutting back on sugary sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. You body, and more specifically, your gallbladder, will thank you for it!