High consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks linked to increased risk of liver cancer, chronic liver disease in postmenopausal women

Postmenopausal women who consume ≥1 serving of sugar-sweetened beverages per day have a significantly higher risk of developing liver cancer and dying from chronic liver disease compared to those who consume ≤3 servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per month, according to a study.

However, the study did not find a significant increase in risk for liver cancer or chronic liver disease mortality among those who consumed artificially sweetened beverages, suggesting that choosing artificially sweetened alternatives might not carry the same health risks as consuming sugar-sweetened beverages.

Of the cohort of 98,786 women aged 50 to 79 years who were followed over a period of nearly 21 years, 207 women developed liver cancer, and 148 died from chronic liver disease.

The researchers observed a clear association between high sugar-sweetened beverage intake and a heightened risk of both liver cancer incidence and chronic liver disease mortality.

Reference
Zhao L, Zhang X, Coday M, et al. Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Liver Cancer and Chronic Liver Disease Mortality. JAMA. 2023;330(6):537-546. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.12618. PMID: 37552302.