Sugary drinks increase the risk of liver disease - In the spotlight

2023-08-16 14:00:23

August 16, 2023

Overweight, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, sugary drinks are incriminated in many pathologies. And the liver is not spared. Let’s take stock of the risks of liver damage linked to the consumption of sodas and artificial fruit juices.

Beverages containing added sugars expose regular consumers to an increased risk of liver cancer. And more generally, they increase mortality due to chronic liver diseases.

To prove it, American researchers* followed a cohort of 98,789 postmenopausal women for 20.9 years. ” Those who consumed one or more sugary drinks per day had an 18% risk of developing liver cancer, compared to 10.3% among those who consumed three or fewer servings of sugary drinks per month “Summarizes Professor Xuehong Zhang, lead author of the study.

A much lower incidence when the consumption of sugary drinks remains moderate. Another data: the mortality of heavy drinkers of sodas was 17.7 per 100,000 women per year, against 7.1 per 100,000 among women who are not very fond of these drinks.

Triglycerides and inflammatory phenomenon

Among the explanatory factors: a sugary diet is a risk factor for excess weight, itself implicated in overexposure to the risk of cancer. Fat is indeed known to promote the appearance of tumor lesions. Thus, worldwide, 3.6% of new cases of cancer diagnosed in people over 30 have their origin in overweight or obesity.

Furthermore, sweeteners such as aspartame added in industrial drinks light in order to maintain a sweet flavor while reducing caloric intake, are also known for their carcinogenic properties. The tumors most often diagnosed in patients suffering from obesity (digestive cancers, kidneys, breasts, cervix, ovaries, etc.) are the most frequently reported in soda drinkers.

Finally, the overconsumption of sodas increases the risk of suffering from NASH, soda disease, otherwise known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in its most advanced form. How is this pathology affecting 20 to 30% of the French population translated? When sugar (and fat) intake is excessive, an imbalance occurs: a large number of fats accumulate in the form of triglycerides in the liver. An inflammatory phenomenon follows. Over time, liver cells are destroyed and the disorder may progress to fibrosis and then cirrhosis.

*Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston

Source : JAMA Network, August 8, 2023 – Portail Cancer Environnement, Inserm, sites consulted on August 9, 2023
Written by : Laura Bourgault – Edited by: Emmanuel Ducreuzet