Excessive sugary drink intake may lead to NAFLD

Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at higher amounts contributes to an increase in liver fat in the long term, which in turn raises the likelihood of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), especially among older people, according to a study.

The prospective observational study used data from the FHS Third Generation and Offspring cohorts. A total of 691 offspring (mean age 62.8 years, 57.7 percent women) and 945 third generation participants (mean age 48.4 years, 46.6 percent women) who completed the computed tomography (CT) substudies were included in the analysis.

Average SSB or diet soda consumption were derived from baseline and follow-up food frequency questionnaires: nonconsumers (0 to <1 per month), occasional consumers (1 per month to <1 per week), and frequent consumers (≥1 per week to ≥1 per day). Hepatic fat was evaluated using the liver fat attenuation measurements on CT scan.

The primary endpoint of incident NAFLD was associated with SSB consumption in a dose-dependent manner in the overall population. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that compared with nonconsumers, frequent SSB consumers had more than twofold higher odds of developing NAFLD (odds ratio, 2.53, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.36–4.7).

In the offspring cohort, occasional and frequent consumption of SSB exerted a greater adverse effect on liver fat compared with nonconsumption. There was no consistent association observed in the younger third generation cohort.