Why sugary drinks might hurt your liver
Fructose drives de novo lipogenesis affecting metabolic health
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Fructose increases liver fat even under energy-balanced conditions—meaning you don’t need to eat more calories to get fatty liver from it.
Most people think fat buildup only happens from overeating. This shows fructose alone can reprogram your liver to store fat, regardless of total calories.
Practical Takeaways
Swap one sugary drink per day for water, sparkling water, or unsweetened tea.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Fructose increases liver fat even under energy-balanced conditions—meaning you don’t need to eat more calories to get fatty liver from it.
Most people think fat buildup only happens from overeating. This shows fructose alone can reprogram your liver to store fat, regardless of total calories.
Practical Takeaways
Swap one sugary drink per day for water, sparkling water, or unsweetened tea.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of Endocrinology
Year
2023
Authors
Bettina Geidl-Flueck, P. Gerber
Related Content
Claims (7)
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.
Eating too much fructose, like the sugar in soda and sweet snacks, makes your liver create more fat, which raises bad fats in your blood and causes body-wide inflammation, making heart disease more likely.
If you eat less fructose—like the sugar in soda and candy—your liver will make less fat, even if you don’t eat fewer calories overall. This can help reduce fat buildup in the liver, especially if you’re overweight or have fatty liver disease.
Eating fructose (like in sugary drinks) makes your body store more fat around your organs and liver than eating the same amount of glucose, even if you’re not eating too many calories overall.
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.