Diet Soda Warnings: Liver Disease Risk on the Rise
Dig into that can of Diet Coke with caution - new research hints that gulping down too many dim-calorie drinks may lead to an increased risk of liver disease.
Sweet Dreams, Sour Awakening
Diet sodas, like Diet Coke, are notorious for peddling themselves as weight-loss saviors. Promise of "no sugar" and "zero calories" aside, diet drinks earn a questionable health-hype dub.
Recently, a study published in BMC Public Health sheds light on these seemingly innocuous beverages' potential dangers. Researchers found that excessive consumption of diet soda is linked to an elevated risk of metabolic liver diseases – such as fatty liver, or MALSD.
The study called upon over 2,300 participants to support their claims. However, researchers acknowledged that more comprehensive, randomized controlled trials are required to substantiate their findings.
Liver Troubles in a Bottle
Experts have long warned that soft drink consumption could pose a threat to liver health by inducing insulin resistance and liver inflammation. This new study introduces a new angle – the impact of sugar substitutes.
Findings suggest a heightened use of artificial sweeteners might increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, further fueling the dangers of diet soda consumption.
The World Health Organization (WHO) even sounded the alarm in May 2023, advising against non-caloric sweetener use and labeling aspartame as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" a month later.
Cooking Up Liver Chaos: BMI Factor
Researchers theorize that body mass index (BMI) plays a significant role in the diet soda-liver disease connection.
Dr. Menka Gupta, a functional medicine provider for Nutranourish, suggests that artificial sweeteners may impact liver health through the gut-brain axis. Imbalanced communication between the brain and the digestive tract could negatively affect metabolism and potentially ignite liver disease.
Toasting to a Sweeter Tomorrow
When it comes to liver health, betters to wet your whistle with water instead of dieting down with diet beverages.
Liver-Leaving Insights
Excessive consumption of diet cola, which often contains artificial sweeteners like aspartame, can lead to an elevated risk of metabolic liver diseases, such as NAFLD.
The reason?: Insulin spikes, liver inflammation, fatty liver synthesis, and an exacerbated risk of type 2 diabetes.
Dietary choices with high fructose intake, saturated fats, and excess calories, as well as a pro-inflammatory diet, can contribute to NAFLD risk and liver disease.
Maintaining a healthy BMI can help prevent the development of metabolic liver diseases and show support for liver health.
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