Sugary Drinks May Cause Liver Damage

(I'll have to dig up the actual study or article since this is an abbreviated summary of the findings.  Note that this population is NOT comprised of people who have HCV, but rather so called "normal" uninfected people.  One might surmise that the effects could be worse yet on already liver compromised populations.  ~~Willy)


http://www.aolhealth.com/healthy-living/nutrition/sugary-drinks?icid=main|main|dl3|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2Fhealthy-living%2Fnutrition%2Fsugary-drinks

[b]Sugary Drinks May Cause Liver Damage[/b]

New Study Shows Soda and Juice Could Be Dangerous

By Kimberly Papa Wolfson

If you sip more than two glasses of soda or fruit juice a day, you could be increasing your risk for long-term liver damage.

According to new research, consuming drinks high in sugar, like cola and cranberry juice, can cause fatty liver disease. While many people are asymptomatic and don’t suffer from complications from the disease, in severe cases non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can progress to liver failure -- and even the need for a transplant.

Israeli scientists who conducted the study found that people who drank about four cups of sugary beverages a days were at five time greater risk for developing NAFLD. Even people who drink just two cans of soda a day could increase their risk for developing fatty liver by as much as 80 percent.

Lead study author, Nimer Assy, M.D., director of Ziv Medical Centre, explained to the Daily Mail that the ingredient in fruit juices and soda that causes the damage is a sugar known as fructose, which is highly absorbable in the liver. This type of sugar doesn’t affect insulin production and instead goes straight to the liver, where it’s converted to fat.

This small study, published in the "Journal of Hepatology," looked at 60 patients with NAFLD, and compared their soft-drink habits, dietary intake, and blood markers of inflammation and insulin resistance to 18 controls without liver disease over a six month period. The results showed that 80 percent of those who had consumed high-sugar drinks and fruit juices had fatty liver changes, while only 17 percent of the patients who had not been drinking sugary beverages developed fatty livers.

“I don’t think you can isolate the soft drinks, says Zhiping Li, M.D. Assistant Professor and Director of Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Program Johns Hopkins University. “People who drink four soft drinks a day are probably also eating other unhealthy foods. It has been well documented that a Western diet -- high in fat, and high in carbohydrates -- contributes to insulin resistance, which is an underlying cause of fatty liver.”

Researchers did note that obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are symptoms of metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with NAFLD. Therefore, it is possible that someone who consumes more sugary drinks may have other risk factors that contribute to NAFLD risk

So are diet sodas a safe choice in light of these findings? Maybe not. “Whether artificial sweeteners, like the ones in diet soda, contribute to liver disease is still controversial,” says Dr. Li, who recommends people stick to water.

If you do develop fatty liver, which can be diagnosed with a blood test, Dr. Li says the good news is that lifestyle changes -- like eating a low-fat diet, cutting out fructose and exercising -- can reverse the effects.

[Marcia2202]

Good that I hardly ever have soft drinks.

[IMstacie]

I don't dring soft drinks either.  But, if I did, I would drink the  real sugar instead of the diet drinks.  Diet drinks are poison in my book and they taste nasty also.

[Rockerforlife]

There is organic soda pop too...and its GREAT

[epiphiny]

Sugar just makes me feel bad.  First of all I get a sugar "high" and then I come crashing down.  And too much of it makes me feel downright sick.  That's including natural, so called healthy sugars as well.  I have always put it down to my liver being unable to process it properly.  Interestingly, since finishing tx I have had huge sugar cravings which I have given into which just make me feel bad.  Can't figure it out.  Any ideas?