As sweet as it is, sugar is associated with weight gain and conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

You probably already have some great reasons of your own to cut back but here are a few new ones.

1. Prevent kidney damage by giving up sugary sodas. A Georgia based kidney disease epidemiologist, Suma Vupputuri M. D., coauthored a study that found women who drink a minimum of two sugary sodas per day are twice as likely to show signs of kidney damage. Sugary sodas include all those sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup.

—What to drink instead? Try blueberry juice. Blueberries contain polyphenols known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that combat neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. Dr. Robert Krikorian, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center in Ohio reported that for the first time there is evidence that a few glasses of blueberry juice each day can improve memory.

2. Lower your blood pressure by forgoing the high fructose corn syrup. A study published by The American Society of Nephrology links diets high in fructose with hypertension. Diana Jalal, M.D. of University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center, and her colleagues, found that persons who consumed more than 74 grams per day of fructose (that’s only two and half soft drinks each day) increased their risk of developing high blood pressure.

—Need another way to lower your blood pressure? Dr. John C. Longhurst, leader of the study and director of the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at UC Irvine says his study suggests that acupuncture can help lower blood pressure. Acupuncture treatments that use low levels of electrical stimulation can lower blood pressure levels by 50%, Longhurst reports. 

3. Preserve cognitive health by controlling blood sugar levels. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) published a study in the Annals of Neurology that suggests exercising to improve blood sugar levels could help some people thwart off the mental decline that comes with aging.

— Want to lower your blood sugar naturally? Eat pistachios. A study at the University of Toronto found that eating pistachio nuts with high-carbohydrate foods can help slow the absorption of carbohydrates in the body, resulting in a lower blood sugar level.