Opting for a diet fizzy drink instead of the sugary version won't protect your liver after all, Britons have been warned.
A massive UK study has found that both regular soft drinks and their low-sugar alternatives can seriously increase your risk of developing fatty liver disease.
The research, which tracked over 120,000 British adults, discovered that drinking more than one can of either type daily raises your chances of developing the condition by 50 to 60 per cent, meaning the diet versions are just as risky as the full-sugar ones.
The findings come from a decade-long study that followed participants from the UK Biobank who showed no signs of liver problems when they started. Researchers used detailed food diaries to track what people were drinking over the years.
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During the study period, more than 1,100 people developed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) - the medical term for fatty liver disease. Another 108 died from liver-related causes.
People who drank more than 250 grams daily of low-sugar drinks faced a 60 per cent higher risk of developing MASLD.
Those drinking the same amount of regular sugary drinks saw their risk jump by 50 per cent.
Lead researcher Lihe Liu explained that sugary drinks have been scrutinised for years, while their diet alternatives are often viewed as the healthier option.
Both soft drinks and their low-sugar alternatives are linked to increased fat levels in the liver
|GETTY
Both are widely consumed, but their impact on liver health hasn't been properly understood until now.
"Our study shows that LNSSBs were actually linked to a higher risk of MASLD, even at modest intake levels such as a single can per day," Liu said.
"These findings challenge the common perception that these drinks are harmless."
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The biological reasons are different for each type. Regular soft drinks cause blood sugar spikes, weight gain and increased uric acid - all contributing to liver fat.
Diet drinks might disrupt gut bacteria, interfere with feeling full, trigger sweet cravings and even stimulate insulin production.
Thankfully, simply swapping either type of drink for water cuts your MASLD risk by around 13 per cent for sugary drinks and 15 per cent for diet versions.
But simply switching between the two types won't help at all - you need to ditch both completely.
Sugary drinks can also negatively affect your metabolism | GETTY"The safest approach is to limit both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened drinks," Liu added.
"Water remains the best choice as it removes the metabolic burden and prevents fat accumulation in the liver, while hydrating the body."
The research team now plans to investigate exactly how sugar and artificial sweeteners affect gut bacteria and influence liver disease through longer-term studies.
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