Diet soda might not be the healthier choice many people think. A new study found that drinking just one can a day could raise the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by 60%. For comparison, regular soda increased the risk by 50%. Researchers followed nearly 124,000 adults for 10 years and discovered both types of drinks were tied to higher rates of liver damage and deaths from liver disease.
Experts say artificial sweeteners may disrupt gut bacteria and confuse the body’s ability to process sugar and fat, leading to liver buildup over time. “These results show we need to rethink how diet drinks fit into a healthy lifestyle,” said Lihe Liu of Soochow University. With liver disease now affecting about 40% of Americans, the findings are raising serious concerns.
The fix is simple: choose water instead. People who swapped soda — regular or diet — for water lowered their liver disease risk by up to 15%. Researchers say the message is clear: for your liver, water is still the best choice.
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