Soft drinks consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

William Nseir, Fares Nassar, Nimer Assy

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

156 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common clinical condition which is associated with metabolic syndrome in 70% of cases. Inappropriate dietary fat intake, excessive intake of soft drinks, insulin resistance and increased oxidative stress combine to increase free fatty acid delivery to the liver, and increased hepatic triglyceride accumulation contributes to fatty liver. Regular soft drinks have high fructose corn syrup which contains basic sugar building blocks, fructose 55% and glucose 45%. Soft drinks are the leading source of added sugar worldwide, and have been linked to obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The consumption of soft drinks can increase the prevalence of NAFLD independently of metabolic syndrome. During regular soft drinks consumption, fat accumulates in the liver by the primary effect of fructose which increases lipogenesis, and in the case of diet soft drinks, by the additional contribution of aspartame sweetener and caramel colorant which are rich in advanced glycation end products that potentially increase insulin resistance and infam-mation. This review emphasizes some hard facts about soft drinks, reviews fructose metabolism, and explains how fructose contributes to the development of obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and NAFLD.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2579-2588
Number of pages10
JournalWorld Journal of Gastroenterology
Volume16
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - 7 Jun 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Aspartame
  • Caramel
  • Carbonated beverage
  • Cola
  • Diabetes
  • Fatty liver
  • Fructose
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • Obesity
  • Soda
  • Soft drink
  • Sweetened beverage

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