What does sugar have in common with beer and cigarettes? Scientists are arguing that the sweet stuff should be considered a controlled substance and regulated as such, just like alcohol and tobacco,

.

A team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, say in the Feb. 4 edition of science journal

that since added sweeteners are linked to increased risks for health problems such as diabetes and hypertension, sugary foods and drinks should be taxed and sales to children under 17 should be controlled.

The authors also offer such suggestions as reducing the volume of advertising for sugary items, limiting sugary products allowed in schools and removing sugar from the FDA's "Generally Regarded as Safe" list, according to the

.

The

identifies four criteria that justify government regulation: The item in question is unavoidable in society, toxic, can be abused and is bad for society. The researchers say that sugar meets all of these criteria, and the government should treat it similar to the way it treats alcohol and tobacco.

Taking sugar away from Americans will be no easy task. Time reports the average U.S. adult puts away 22 teaspoons

of sugar a day, according to the American Heart Association, and teens take in 34 teaspoons.

But there's no denying that such a high sugar intake produces adverse effects. Seventeen percent of U.S. children and teens are obese, and the global obesity pandemic contributes to 35 million deaths a year from non-infectious diseases including diabetes, heart disease and cancer, according to Time.