For several years, Diet Soda has been sold as the “healthier” alternative to sugar -sized soft drinks, the debt -free fizz that we could sip without worry. But a new study challenges that assumption, and the results are shocking. Researchers in China have found that even a single jar of artificial sweetened soda per day can increase the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (masld)-the most common liver disease in the United States surprisingly, diet soda seems to be an even higher risk than regular, sugar-barn soda. The results indicate that these zero calorie bubbles may not be as innocent as they seem.
Diet Soda vs. Regular soda : How even “sugar -free” drinks can harm your liver
Chief author Lihe Liu, a gastroenterology PhD student at the first affiliated hospital at Sooochow University, explained that low- or sugar sweetened drinks were linked to higher masld risk, even at modest consumption levels. During a decade long follow -up of almost 123,800 inhabitants in the UK without liver disease, participants who drank only one 250 ml can diet soda per day a 60% higher risk of developing Masld. Regular soda drinkers had a 50% higher risk. LiU notes that diet drinks can affect the liver by changing the intestinal microbiome, interfering full clues and even stimulating insulin release.Sugar -containing drinks contribute to liver fat by causing rapid nails in blood sugar and insulin, promoting weight gain and increasing uric acid levels. Diet soda, while free from sugar, can still interfere with metabolic processes and encourage sweet suction. Both types of beverages caused fat accumulation in the liver, but only diet soda was associated with an increased risk of liver -related deaths, which highlights hidden dangers in what many consider to be a “safe” choice.
The larger picture: Masld on the way up
Masld currently affects about 38% of adults in the United States, and this number is estimated to exceed 55% by 2040 due to rising obesity and diabetes. Since diet and sugar-sweetened drinks remain generally consumed all over the world, it is crucial to understand their long-term health consequences. LiU emphasizes that more research is needed to identify which specific sweeteners can be most harmful.
What you can do to protect your liver
The study also offers a simple takeaway: moderation and water is the key. Replacing water with diet soda reduced the MASLD risk by over 15%, while changing sugar -containing soda with water lowered risk by almost 13%. “Limiting both sugar-sweetened and artificial sweetened drinks is still the safest approach,” recommends LiU and reminds us that even so-called “debt-free” drinks are not without consequences.
