A new study links diet sodas to liver harm; consider swapping diet beverages for water.
A recent study, entitled “Sugar- and Low/Non-Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Risks of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and Liver-Related Mortality: A Prospective Analysis of the UK Biobank,” revealed that drinking even just one diet soda or low/non-sugar-sweetened beverages (LNSSBs) a day has the potential to increase the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by 60%. A yet-to-be-published study revealed that consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) increases the risk by 50%.
Understanding Liver Disease Risk
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is also known as Metabolically Dysregulated-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), is a condition where fat builds up in the liver of people who consume even a small amount of alcohol or no alcohol. The damage is similar to that of a person who is a heavy drinker or has developed cirrhosis, a chronic condition in which the liver becomes scarred and permanently damaged, or is battling liver cancer.
According to experts, this condition is the leading cause of liver cancer, and it has increased by 50% in the United States over the past 30 years. In 2025, it is estimated that nearly 40% of the American population will have this disease.
Lihe Liu, a graduate student in the department of gastroenterology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, in Suzhou, China said at United European Gastroenterology Week (UEG Week) 2025 conference: “Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have long been under scrutiny, while their ‘diet’ alternatives are often seen as the healthier choice. Our study shows that LNSSBs (low- or non-sugar-sweetened beverages) were actually linked to a higher risk of MASLD, even at modest intake levels such as a single can per day.”
The Research Data
The research, which explained this information, was recently presented in Berlin at the UEG Week 2025, an annual conference of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Liu added: “These findings challenge the common perception that these drinks are harmless and highlight the need to reconsider their role in diet and liver health, especially as MASLD emerges as a global health concern.”
Explaining how they were able to collect the data, the experts stated that they followed over 124,000 people who were healthy and did not have any form of liver disease in the UK, and monitored them for over 10 years. The study revealed the disturbing finding that there is a connection between diet and sugar sodas and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The study also found that participants who substituted water for a sugary beverage reduced the risk by nearly 13%. Substituting water for diet soda reduced the risk even further, by over 15%.
How Sodas Harm The Liver
The study made it clear that the content of sugary beverages can cause rapid spikes in blood glucose and insulin, and it also leads to weight gain. Excessive sugar can contribute to increased fat accumulation in the liver. Although diet drinks are low in calories, they can still impact liver health.
Liu concluded the statement: “They can change the gut microbiome, interfere with feelings of fullness, increase preference for sweet foods and even stimulate insulin secretion. Water, however, hydrates the body without affecting metabolism, helps with satiety and supports overall metabolic function.That’s why the risk reduction is similar no matter which sweetened drink is replaced — it shows that water is the healthiest default beverage.”
Water wins the day.
