NASH: 1 in 4 Americans have cirrhosis from sugar

We already suspected it, but the daily consumption of sugary drinks is not at all good for your health. This time, it is a study carried out by researchers from Tufts University (United States), whose conclusions are published in the Journal of Hepatology, which highlights the risks of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH or “NASH” in English) in regular consumers of sodas.
This lesion of the liver, following an accumulation of fat in the hepatocytes, can progress to cirrhosis which, in turn, has far more serious consequences.

55% more risk of being affected by NHSD

The researchers were interested in the cases of 2,634 men and women, mostly Caucasian, and their eating habits. They were asked to postpone their daily consumption of sugary drinks and colas (with or without caffeine), but also their use of tobacco and alcohol.

By examining the amount of fat in participants’ livers using CT scans, the study authors found that the heaviest consumers were much more affected than others by NASH (approximately 55% risk additional). The numbers are the same when taking into account participants’ gender, age, BMI and lifestyle. On the other hand, there is nothing to link these risks of NASH with the frequent consumption of “diet” soda.

In the United States, nearly 30% of the population is affected by this “fatty liver” syndrome which, if it turns into cirrhosis, can subsequently develop into liver cancer. By projecting these results over the years to come, scientists say that nearly 50% of the world population could suffer from NASH by 2030. The number of cases would have even doubled between 1988 and 2013.

The explosion of obesity pointed out

According to a 2014 study, NASH remains the most common liver disease in developed countries. By observing the evolution curves, we can underline that the indicator of hepatic lesions linked to these pathologies closely follows that of the explosion of obesity in favored countries. “If the obesity epidemic is any indicator, the NASH effect observed in the United States could have an echo around the world,” explains Jiantao Ma, one of the main instigators of this work. The figures are not optimistic, the WHO had recently warned of a very likely obesity epidemic in the years to come.

The researchers plan to extend their work to understand how the sugar (including fructose) in certain drinks can cause such damage to the liver of consumers. In the meantime, and with all the common sense in the world, the study advises parents to reserve these drinks for very special occasions, so as not to accustom the youngest to their regular consumption.