Au contraire, *DameXanadu - it is a preservative, it makes things taste nice, and without it there would be no cake.
I personally do not think any food should be demonised - it doesn't promote a sensible attitude towards food, and the aim should be to eat a balanced diet, within the bounds of which a bit of sugar now and then will not do you any harm at all.
Frankly, if you cut out of your diet all the different foods and food groups that have been demonised over the years - fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, carbohydrates, sugar, roasted or toasted food, fried food, unpasteurised milk and cheeses, etc, etc - you would be left with a diet consisting of poached skinless chicken breast and kale - which would be utterly miserable!
Food, for me, is about nourishing the soul and spirit as well as the body - but hopefully doing so in a fairly sensible and balanced fashion.
When you demonise a food or food group, it becomes the Forbidden Fruit, and as such, is a huge temptation. If it is just a normal part of life, you can keep it in balance, and keep it to a sensible amount - because you are not craving something forbidden.