Many Americans enjoy sugary drinks daily.
But, what if these sweet treats could harm our livers or even lead to cancer?
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital wanted to understand if there was a link between sugary drinks and liver problems.
Their findings were surprising and were shared in a well-known medical journal called JAMA.
Longgang Zhao, Ph.D., who worked on the study, said this was probably the first time they found a link between these drinks and liver disease-related death. The research might help develop new ways to keep our livers healthy.
Looking into Women’s Health
The study used data from a huge project called the Women’s Health Initiative. This project followed the health of nearly 100,000 older women for about 20 years.
These women shared how often they drank sugary soft drinks and fruit drinks (not fruit juice). They also mentioned if they drank any artificially sweetened beverages.
Over the years, the team checked how many of these women reported having liver cancer or died from liver diseases. They also made sure to verify these reports with actual medical records.
Startling Findings
From the women in the study, those who drank one or more sugary drinks every day seemed to be in more danger.
They were 85% more likely to get liver cancer and 68% more likely to die from a liver disease than women who drank these beverages less than three times a month.
What’s Next?
This research only shows a link, not that sugary drinks directly cause liver problems. Since the study depended on women remembering and accurately reporting their drink habits, there might be some mistakes.
More research is required. The next steps include trying to understand why these drinks might be harmful and looking at other factors like genetics and other scientific data.
However, the message seems clear: regularly drinking sugary beverages might have health risks, and it’s essential to be aware and make informed choices about our diets.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about a diet that can treat fatty liver disease and obesity, and coffee drinkers may halve their risk of liver cancer.
For more information about cancer prevention, please see recent studies about nutrient in fish that can be a poison for cancer, and results showing this daily vitamin is critical to cancer prevention.
The study was published in JAMA.
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