A new study has warned that “diet” drinks may have negative effects on health.
Drinking just one can of regular or diet soda a day could increase the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
The study, presented at the United European Gastroenterology Week in Berlin, followed 123,788 patients in the UK over a ten-year period. None of the participants had pre-existing liver disease at the start of the study.
Each day, participants completed questionnaires reporting their consumption of soda or diet drinks. After ten years, 1,178 participants had developed MASLD and 108 had died from liver-related conditions.
“SSBs (sugar-sweetened beverages) have long been under scrutiny, while their ‘diet’ alternatives are often seen as the healthier choice. Both, however, are widely consumed and their effects on liver health have not been well understood,” said Lihe Liu, the study’s lead author.
“Our study shows that LNSSBs (low- or no-sugar beverages) were actually linked to a higher risk of MASLD, even at modest intake levels such as a single can per day. These findings challenge the common perception that these drinks are harmless and highlight the need to reconsider their role in diet and liver health,” he added.
