This SKYROCKETS liver cancer risk 85 percent? (YIKES)

Cancer.

It’s one diagnosis we all hope to avoid.

Yet, many of us engage in behaviors that SPIKE our cancer risk. Even without meaning to.

And now research shows a popular indulgence might increase your risk of liver cancer by a whopping 85 percent!

No, it’s NOT alcohol…

Toxic threat

Just under half of liver cancer patients DON’T have an established risk factor, like type 2 diabetes, obesity, or hepatitis B or C. So researchers wanted to look at other potential contributing factors.

And of course, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is a great place to start.

In fact, previous research points to a potential link between sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and liver cancer. So, researchers honed in on the effect among nearly 99,000 postmenopausal women.

The data stems from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). And the analysis shows that regularly drinking SSB may skyrocket risk of liver cancer…

In addition to heightening risk of DYING from chronic liver disease, defined as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, live fibrosis, cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, and chronic hepatitis.

More specifically, consuming at least one SSB daily translated to an 85 percent higher risk of liver cancer—and a 68 percent higher risk of dying from a chronic liver disease, compared to those who drank three or less monthly.

Now, I should also note that this study also looked at artificial sweetener intake, but the association wasn’t as strong. (Yet, the International Agency for Research on Cancer officially classified aspartame as a possible carcinogen… but I digress.)

Sugar is deadly

I’m still unsure as to why anyone drinks SSBs… or artificially sweetened beverages, for that matter.

I see it frequently and always ask myself, how can they do that to themselves?

I mean, how many studies do we need before we get serious about what these drinks do to our bodies?

If banning SSBs—or at least making them so expensive that it deters consumption—isn’t a worthwhile public health endeavor… then I don’t know what is!

The bottom line is, sugar of ANY kind creates an inflammatory response. Overconsumption can lead to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. And these conditions all increase cancer risk.

Opting NOT to drink sweetened beverages is a modifiable lifestyle choice. That means saying no to flavored coffee, diet soda, and everything in between.

But that doesn’t mean your fluid intake needs to be boring. While I love water myself, I know that’s an unpopular opinion. Here’s how to jazz it up…

Add some natural ingredients to your water, like a few slices of lemon or lime, crushed strawberries, pulverized mint, and more. You can also enjoy unsweetened herbal tea, hot chocolate made from 100 percent cocoa, and black coffee.

P.S. For additional science-backed strategies to fight all types of cancer, check out my Essential Cancer Protocol. Click here now to learn more about this comprehensive, online learning tool!

Source:

“Sugary Drinks Up Risk for Liver Cancer, Liver Disease Death.” Medscape, 08/08/2023. (medscape.com/viewarticle/995272)