Diet and Sugary Drinks Raise Liver Disease Risk by up to 60%, New Study Finds

A new large-scale study presented at United European Gastroenterology Week 2025 in Berlin has found that both diet sodas and sugar-sweetened beverages significantly increase the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

According to lead researcher Lihe Liu from Soochow University in China:

• Drinking just one can of diet soda a day increases the risk by 60%,

• while one sugary beverage daily raises it by 50%.

NAFLD, also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), causes fat buildup in the liver of people who consume little or no alcohol. The condition can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

“Our data show that even low or non-sugar beverages are not risk-free. Moderate daily intake still correlates with liver damage,” Liu said.

The research followed 124,000 participants from the UK Biobank for over a decade. Substituting sugary or diet drinks with water reduced liver disease risk by:

• 13% for sugary drinks,

• 15% for diet drinks.

Switching between sugary and diet drinks offered no benefit.

Dr. Sajid Jalil of Stanford University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research, said the findings provide “strong evidence that both regular and diet sodas may harm liver health over time.”

“Water is the healthiest beverage choice—it hydrates without disrupting metabolism and protects against fat accumulation,” he added.