You are here: Home > Diet & Health

Say no to soft drinks

Pamela Allardice
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Getty Images
Getty Images
You already know that too many soft drinks are bad for your teeth and your waistline, but now a study published in the Journal of Hepatology has also linked them to liver damage, specifically non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which may in turn lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease, and even liver cancer.

In pictures: Gym habits that are holding you back

Israeli researchers, led by Dr Nimer Assy, found that people who drink more than one litre daily of beverages that have been sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, aspartame or naturally occurring fructose (the team included naturally sweetened fruit juice in their definition of beverage) developed NAFLD five times faster than those who drank smaller quantities.

Fructose is easily absorbed by the liver, which causes the condition; however, the problem does not seem to occur when fruit is eaten whole, as the fibre slows and reduces fructose absorption.

Your say: Do you drink a lot of soft drink? Does this study make you want to cut down, or will you continue to enjoy your favourite fizzy beverages?

Also in this section

Recipe Search

Tip: Try "lamb & potato" or "Low GI"
advertisement
Features
Pictures
Video
How your place in the family rules your lifeFirst-born? Piggy in the middle? Or always the baby? Clinical psychologist Linda Blair reveals how birth order in the family can affect every aspect of your life. Multi-vitamins can make you smarterMany people consider vitamin supplements a waste of money, but a new study has found they can actually make you smarter. My wonderful daughter Emily SeebohmEmily Seebohm is one of Australia's most promising Olympic medal prospects, but she'll always be a little girl to her mum Karen. Here, Karen shares her favourite pictures of her superstar daughter. Juggling can grow brain by five percentJuggling might seem like something best left to professional clowns, but a new study has found it can increase the size of your brain. Natural help for hivesMy doctor prescribes antihistamines for my hives. What else can I do?
ww |

inspire me

My wonderful daughter Emily Seebohm

My wonderful daughter Emily SeebohmEmily Seebohm is one of Australia's most promising Olympic medal prospects, but...More >

My wonderful daughter Emily Seebohm

My wonderful daughter Emily SeebohmEmily Seebohm is one of Australia's most promising Olympic medal prospects, but...More >

Photo galleries

Desserts to impressDesserts to impress The best Italian recipesThe best Italian recipes

Weekly newsletter

Recipes in your inboxWe send you the latest recipes from the Weekly plus all the week's best bits to your inbox.
Sign up now >
ww |

topics

Handy hints(740)/ Expert advice(530)/ natural health(436)/ Books(426)/ diet(348)/ Recipes(287)/ Food(267)/ Health(252)/ Gardening(219)/ Craft(164)/ Royals(160)

Also on Ninemsn