Soft drink consumption is associated with fatty liver disease independent of metabolic syndrome.

​Frequent intake of soft drinks might be a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

This study assessed how habitual drinking of soft drinks affects the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Researchers studied the soft drink intake levels of 60 NAFLD patients and 30 healthy subjects for 6 months and compared the NAFLD odds ratios of the participants in the study.

The team of investigators observed a higher incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among regular consumers of large quantities of soft drinks. According to this study, the positive relationship between generous intake of soft drinks and elevated risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is independent of metabolic syndrome. The findings of this study lend further support to the theory that habitual consumption of soft drinks may be responsible for the increasing incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the general population.