There is new support for the theory that sugary soft drinks play a role in the development of liver disease, as reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
A study, conducted at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, tested the effect of sugar-sweetened water on the livers of mice. Some of the mice in the study were given free access to sugar water, while others were given a solution that contained an artificial sweetener.
The results of the study showed that mice fed the sugared water ate less food, but had higher calorie intake and weight gain. The development of fatty liver disease was also more common in these mice, especially when exposed to a type of sugar called fructose. (The kind of sugar found in soft drinks.) Dr. Adrian Di Bisceglie, professor of internal medicine at St. Louis University, stated at the meeting that consumption of high fructose corn syrup, as found in soft drinks, has sky-rocketed over the last ten years and that the rise in obesity is partly to blame for the increase of liver disease we are seeing in the U.S.
SOURCE: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, October 2006
Soda carries little if any health benefits and should be eliminated from your diet all together. Whether you use diet or sugar filled, either may contribute to liver, bone, pancreas and GI tract disease. Why would any of us take chances with our own future health when we have the option to control it ourselves?
God Bless,
Dr. Benzinger
