Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Liver Disease

To the Editor A recent study investigated associations between sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages and risk of chronic liver disease and liver cancer in women. Compared with intake of 3 or fewer sugar-sweetened beverages per month, individuals who consumed 1 or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day had a significantly higher risk of developing liver cancer. The same association for artificial sweeteners did not show statistical significance, although the hazard ratio was 1.17. The World Health Organization recently identified artificial sweeteners as possible carcinogens in high dosage, although this is still debated. Herein, we would like to discuss the findings related to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and increased liver cancer risk. We postulate that the potential impact of sugar-sweetened beverages on liver cancer development would be likely indirect; for example, through the leading etiological factor of liver cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Source: JAMA - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research