If every afternoon, like clockwork, you find yourself at the vending machine punching in the code for your daily Diet Coke, you may want to rethink your selection. According to a newly released study, the popular drink may be doing damage to one of your body’s most important organs.
The study, which was recently presented at the 2025 United European Gastroenterology Week conference in Berlin, involved tracking the beverage consumption habits of 123,788 participants. It found that just nine ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), such as soda, can increase the risk of liver disease known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) by about 50%.
However, when it comes to diet sodas, the findings are even worse. When it comes to diet drinks made with artificial sweeteners, the risk rises for 60%. At a 10.3 year follow-up, 108 of the participants had died from liver-related causes. However, while no significant association was found for the regular soda drinkers, consumption of low- or non-sugar-sweetened beverages (diet drinks) was linked to a higher rate of liver-related death. Both drinks were linked to higher liver fat content, as well.
“SSBs have long been under scrutiny, while their ‘diet’ alternatives are often seen as the healthier choice. Both, however, are widely consumed and their effects on liver health have not been well understood,” lead author of the study, Lihe Liu, said in a press release.
Liu continued, “Our study shows that LNSSBs were actually linked to a higher risk of MASLD, even at modest intake levels such as a single can per day. These findings challenge the common perception that these drinks are harmless and highlight the need to reconsider their role in diet and liver health, especially as MASLD emerges as a global health concern.”
Diet beverages have also been associated with weight gain, insulin confusion, and even cancer. Regardless, Diet Coke has surged in popularity in recent years. Some social media users have even begun referring to the trendy habit as a “fridge cigarette,” given it’s a habit widely known to be unhealthy, but that just seems to hit the spot anyway.
Experts say that it’s best to avoid consuming both drinks with any regularity. “The safest approach is to limit both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened drinks,” Liu says. “Water remains the best choice as it removes the metabolic burden and prevents fat accumulation in the liver, whilst hydrating the body.”