How much fructose you eat doesn’t seem to affect liver fat in middle-aged adults — it might matter more where the fructose comes from, like fruit versus soda, rather than how much you eat.

Drinking more sugary drinks might increase fat in your liver, especially if you're a middle-aged adult. People who drink the most of these beverages tend to have about 9% more liver fat than those who drink the least, even after accounting for other health and lifestyle differences.

When people eat a lot of fructose (like in sugary drinks), their liver has a harder time burning fat for energy, especially if they're also eating a lot of fat — which can lead to fat building up in the liver.

Eating fructose from whole fruits doesn’t seem to raise liver fat in middle-aged people, even after accounting for things like how much they eat or how active they are — maybe because the natural package of the fruit protects against any downsides of fructose.

Eating too much fructose—like the sugar in soda and candy—can slow down your liver’s ability to burn fat, making fat build up and mess up your metabolism.

Eating too much fructose, like from sugary drinks, makes your liver turn it into fat, which can build up and lead to fatty liver disease—even if you don't drink alcohol.