Daily Sugary Beverage Consumption Linked to Marked Rise in Liver Cancer Risk
According to a study published in JAMA on Tuesday, older women who consume just one sugar-sweetened beverage per day have a significantly higher chance of getting liver cancer and passing from long-term liver disease.
Postmenopausal women who consumed at least one sweetened soft drink or fruit drink per day were 1.75 times more likely to be diagnosed with liver cancer and 2.5 times more likely to pass away from chronic liver disease when compared to those who additionally ingested three or fewer servings per month.
Twenty years were spent observing a cohort of nearly 100,000 American women aged 50 to 79 by researchers from Harvard Medical School. While approximately 65% of US adults consume sugar-sweetened beverages on a daily basis, only 7% of female study participants did so. Over 13% of the sample consumed artificially sweetened beverages daily.
Over the course of two decades, 207 women developed liver cancer, and 148 women died of chronic liver disease.
Read Also: Maximizing Your Retirement: The Triple Lock Approach to Company Pension Schemes
Artificial Sweeteners and Liver Health: No Significant Risk, Yet Causality Remains Uncertain
Researchers discovered that women who consumed beverages with artificial sweeteners did not have a significantly increased risk of developing liver problems.
Reviewing the study, experts noted that the results do not demonstrate causality and that the participants were only requested to record their consumption patterns at the beginning of the study and after three years; however, it is likely that their consumption patterns changed over the 20-year observation period.
Researchers note that Americans typically consume fructose in the form of table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which has been linked to negative health effects. Sugary beverages, such as sodas, energy drinks, and citrus drinks, have long been associated with obesity, diabetes, cancer, and liver disease.
Sadly, liver diseases are on the increase, and a recent study has linked alcohol-related liver disease to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read Also: Tragic Air Collision: 3 Lives Lost in Riverside County’s Fiery Helicopter Incident
Source: New York Post, Study Finds
