They can cause cancer: How sugary drinks kill health

They cool, tone, cheer you up, and... kill your liver. Although they are pleasant in the heat, sugary drinks are deadly for liver health.

In a new study by American scientists that lasted more than 20 years, one thing is clear: daily consumption of sugary drinks increases the risk of cancer and other dangerous liver diseases.

The researchers obtained equally interesting results about diet drinks with artificial sweeteners. If you enjoy sugary sodas or homemade compote every day, read on!

Sugary drinks are poison for the liver

It would seem that the dangers of sugary drinks are obvious, but the fact that a soda or your favorite berry juice increases the risk of liver cancer and affects mortality is a discovery with a plus sign, according to American scientists who have seen this during a 20-year study. According to statistics, 65% of the US adult population consumes sugar-sweetened beverages every day.

It should be noted that liver disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, scientists say.

American researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston conducted a study to examine the link between the consumption of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages and the incidence of liver cancer and chronic liver disease. According to the researchers, this is the first study to report a link between consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and liver disease mortality.

"If our findings are confirmed, reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages could be a public health strategy to reduce liver disease ,"said study author Longgang Zhao, PhD.

The study involved 100,000 postmenopausal women. The participants were divided into those who consumed sugar-based sugary drinks on a daily basis and women who consumed lower-calorie drinks with artificial sweeteners.

Sugar or sweetener? The results of the study

Researchers followed participants aged 50 to 79 years for more than 20 years, studying data on the incidence of liver cancer and deaths from liver diseases such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, and chronic hepatitis. The results of the study showed that 6.8% of women who consumed one or more sugary drinks per day had an 85% higher risk of liver cancer and a 68% higher risk of death from chronic liver disease than those who consumed less than 3 sugary drinks per month. During the study period, 207 women developed liver cancer and 148 died of chronic liver disease.

"Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a risk factor for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. It can lead to insulin resistance and inflammation, which are largely associated with liver carcinogenesis and health," says study author Longgang Zhao.

When it comes to artificially sweetened beverages, Zhao and his colleagues found no association between consumption of such beverages and the risk of liver cancer or death from liver disease. Because the sample size for the analysis of artificially sweetened beverages was limited, these results should be interpreted with caution, the researchers said.

"Given that the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages is low in the population, the sample size is relatively small, so the dose-effect relationship remains unknown," Dr. Zhao said.

What about diet cola?

Although artificially sweetened beverages did not raise concerns among scientists in the study, Coca-Cola is still considered one of the most harmful drinks because it contains aspartame. Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) officially classified the artificial sweetener aspartame as a possible carcinogen. But many scientists deny this, citing their own arguments. While there is no clinical evidence to prove the carcinogenicity of sweeteners, it is known that they increase inflammation in the body.

According toWHOrecommendations , drinks with aspartame can be consumed within the permissible limit of 40 mg of the substance per 1 kg of weight. To exceed this threshold, a person of average weight needs to drink 10-14 cans of cola.

Paul Faroa, an oncology epidemiologist and MD, does not consider the sweetener to be dangerous to health:

"The evidence that aspartame causes primary liver cancer or any other cancer in humans is extremely weak," the scientist comments.

What hepatologists think about the new study

It is noteworthy that 40% of people with liver cancer do not have any of the known risk factors for the disease, such as chronic hepatitis B or C, type 2 diabetes, or obesity. In the current analysis, the researchers wanted to determine whether sugar-sweetened or sweetened beverages could be a risk factor for cancer and liver disease. Nancy S. Roe, MD, a hepatologist at Rush Medical College in Chicago who was not involved in the study, said the authors are to be congratulated for attempting to explain the liver health risks associated with artificial or sweetened beverages.

According to the hepatologist, the most important finding is the link between daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and liver health.

"Whether this is a surrogate marker of liver disease risk (e.g., fatty liver) or a consequence of drinking the beverage itself, it is a simple measure for clinicians and an easy behavior change for patients," the doctor said.

Since the study was an observational study, scientists need more data to draw a causal link between sugary drinks and the risk of dangerous diseases and liver cancer.

Nevertheless, a 20-year study involving about 100,000 people suggests one thing: daily consumption of beverages containing sugar or sugar substitutes can provoke dangerous liver diseases and cancer.