Perhaps it should. The liver is the body’s largest internal organ. It regulates metabolism, helps with detoxification and is central to immunity. It converts nutrients into energy, removes toxins and is the body’s primary defense system against pathogens entering the gut. It’s impossible to live without a functioning liver.
Related: One Common Habit That Could Be Damaging Your Liver, According to a Gastroenterologist
Sugary beverages, like soda, can be a sneaky cause of weight gain, leading to fat buildup in the liver. If you drink diet soda as a way to cut back on sugar, you may be wondering how drinking it regularly impacts liver health. Here, hepatologists explain exactly how regular soda and diet soda impact the liver.
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“Soda has high-fructose corn syrup, which triggers fat buildup in the liver and that can lead to insulin resistance,” Dr. Jakhete explains. Dr. Purohit adds to this, saying that drinks with high-fructose syrup impact the body differently than drinks with other types of sugar.
“Glucose is taken up by tissues throughout the body and regulated by insulin. Fructose isn't. It travels almost directly to the liver, which converts much of it into fat. Over time, as that fat accumulates, the liver becomes inflamed, and scar tissue can form. What starts as fatty liver can progress to a more serious disease—and research shows this can happen independently of weight gain. Soda doesn't just contribute to liver disease through extra calories. It contributes directly,” Dr. Purohit says.
Related: This Is the #1 Most Important Habit for Liver Health, According to a Hepatologist
How Drinking Diet Soda Impacts Liver Health
Both doctors say that the relationship between diet soda and liver health is more complicated than regular soda and liver health. They explain that, unlike regular soda, there isn’t scientific evidence that drinking diet soda directly causes MASLD or other liver problems. But there are some indirect ways that it may be causing harm.
Additionally, Dr. Jakhete notes that there is some scientific evidence that artificial sweeteners change the balance of bacteria in the gut. “This imbalance can change how you metabolize what you consume and could lead to insulin resistance. It could even increase appetite,” she says.
Hearing that both regular soda and even diet soda may contribute to MASLD can be discouraging. Does this mean you can never enjoy a cold, crisp cola? First, both doctors say that there’s nothing wrong with having a soda every once in a while. If it’s an occasional habit and not a regular one, they say not to lose sleep over it.
If you want to support your liver through what you eat and drink, Dr. Purohit advocates for following a Mediterranean diet-style way of eating. This eating plan emphasizes vegetables, fruit, plant-based proteins, seafood and olive oil while minimizing red meat and ultra-processed foods.
If you drink soda or diet soda every day, switching to sparkling water is an easy swap that will support your liver while still satisfying a craving for something cold and bubbly. Cheers to drinking to your health!
Related: ‘I’m a Hepatologist—This Is the One Thing I Tell Every Patient With Fatty Liver Disease To Do Before Anything Else'
Sources:
Physiology, Liver. StatPearls.Dr. Neha Jakhete, MD, gastroenterologist and hepatologist with the University of Maryland Medical System.Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). Cleveland Clinic.Dr. Treta Purohit, MD, gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Oshi Health.Chen, H., Wang, J., Li, Z., et al. (2019). Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Has a Dose-Dependent Effect on the Risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: An Updated Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 16(12):2192.Park, W. Y., Yiannakou, I., Peterson, J. M., et al. (2023). Sugar-Sweetened Beverage, Diet Soda, and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Over 6 Years: The Framingham Heart Study.Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 20(11):2524-2532.Yang, Q. (2010). Gain weight by “going diet”? Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. 83(2):101-108.Hetta, H. F., Sirag, N., Elfadil, H., et al. (2025). Artificial Sweeteners: A Double-Edged Sword for Gut Microbiome.Diseases. 13(4):115.Invancovsky-Wajcman, D., Fliss-Isakov, N., Sol Grinshpan, L., et al. (2022). High Meat Consumption Is Prospectively Associated with the Risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Presumed Significant Fibrosis. Nutrients. 14(17):3533.Hence then, the article about here s exactly what happens to your liver when you drink diet soda was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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