A recent study published in Jama Network1 found that those who drank one or more sugar-sweetened beverages daily2 had an 85% higher risk of liver cancer and 68% higher risk of mortality due to chronic liver disease compared to those who had three or fewer sugar-sweetened beverages per month.
The study was done on 98,786 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative from 1993 to 1998. During this time, the women documented how many sugar-sweetened beverages they drank daily. This did not include naturally sweet drinks like fruit juice. Researchers then followed up with participants in March 2020 to assess health changes.
During that follow-up, 207 women had developed liver cancer, and 148 had died from chronic liver disease. When researchers analyzed these results against questionnaires about diet habits, they found that women who consumed one or more servings per day of sugar-sweetened beverages had a significantly higher risk of liver cancer than those who did not.
Researchers also addressed artificially sweetened beverages but found that women who consumed one or more of these per day did not have a significantly higher risk of liver health complications.
This study was observational and only completed on women, so more research is needed to confirm causation and explore possible explanations for this finding. Nevertheless, it was a large study and does align with other research confirming that, more often than not, added sugar isn’t beneficial for overall health.
