For individuals who frequently consume soda or other sugary beverages, a new study might provide motivation to decrease their intake. The research, spearheaded by Cody Watling of the National Cancer Institute, has been published in JAMA Network Open.
The investigators examined dietary information from over 1.5 million adults across 11 longitudinal studies. Their objective was to determine if consuming sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages correlates with an increased risk of developing liver cancer.
Participants completed questionnaires detailing their food consumption frequency, and subsequently, they were monitored through national cancer registries or medical examinations for an average of nearly 18 years.
The outcome: a higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with an increased risk of two primary subtypes of liver cancer: hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).
In contrast, the consumption of beverages containing artificial sweeteners was not linked to liver cancer overall, nor to any of its specific subtypes.
While this does not definitively prove that sugary drinks cause liver cancer, the authors suggest that their findings contribute to a growing body of evidence connecting sugar-sweetened beverages with adverse long-term health effects.
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