Daily consumption of this drink may increase the risk of liver cancer in women, according to a study.

Women Who Drink Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Daily at Higher Risk of Liver Cancer and Chronic Liver Disease

A recent study‌ conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts has found that women⁢ who consume sugar-sweetened drinks on a daily basis have a higher ‍risk ‍of developing liver cancer and chronic liver disease.

The study, which analyzed data from nearly 98,786 postmenopausal women ⁣aged 50-79 years old, enrolled in the Women’s Health‍ Initiative (WHI)⁤ study from 1993 to ​1998, revealed that those who consumed ⁤one or ​more sugar-sweetened beverages per day had ⁢a significantly higher ⁤incidence of liver cancer and death⁢ from chronic liver disease compared to those who consumed three or fewer ‌servings per month.

During the study, the women self-reported their usual ‌soft drinks ‌and fruit​ drinks (excluding fruit juice), as well as their‍ consumption of artificially ‍sweetened drinks ‌after three​ years. The researchers followed⁢ up on the cases over⁤ a median of 20.9 years, verifying the⁤ reported data through medical records⁤ or the National Death Index.

The results‍ showed that the 6.8 percent ‌of women who ⁣consumed ‌one or​ more sugar-sweetened drinks​ daily had an 85 percent⁢ higher​ risk ⁢of⁤ liver cancer and​ a ​68 percent higher risk of death from chronic liver disease compared to those who had fewer than three such drinks a month.

A First-of-its-Kind Study

The authors ⁤of the study highlighted that approximately 40 percent of⁤ liver cancer patients did not have common risk factors associated with the disease, such as chronic hepatitis B or C infection, type 2 diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, or obesity.

They emphasized the importance of ⁢identifying dietary risk factors for liver ⁤cancer‌ and chronic liver⁣ disease mortality, as epidemiological studies‍ on ​this topic are limited. The authors‌ aimed to investigate whether sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened⁤ drinks could ‍be potential risk ​factors, considering that‌ over 65‍ percent of U.S. adults consumed sugar-sweetened ⁤beverages daily between⁣ 2017 and 2018.

While previous studies​ had suggested ​a potential association between⁣ sugar-sweetened beverage intake and liver cancer risk, this⁢ study is the first to report⁢ an association between sugar-sweetened beverage ⁢intake and chronic liver disease mortality.

“Our findings, if confirmed, may pave the way​ to a⁤ public health strategy to reduce the ​risk of liver ⁢disease ‌based on‍ data from ‌a large and geographically diverse ‍population,” said Longgang Zhao, the first author of the study⁢ from‌ Brigham’s Channing Division of Network Medicine.