By Charlyn Fargo
You might want to think twice before reaching for a regular soda. In a new study, researchers found that regularly drinking sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a significantly increased incidence of liver cancer and death from chronic liver disease. The study involved nearly 100,000 postmenopausal women.
Compared with consuming three or fewer sugar-sweetened beverages a month, women who drank at least one of these beverages per day had significantly higher rates of liver cancer according to Xuehong Zhang, MBBS, D.Sc., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and colleagues.
The same was true for chronic liver disease mortality. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
However, results differed for artificially sweetened beverages, the authors said.
Compared with the consumption of three or fewer artificially sweetened beverages per month, women who consumed at least one of these beverages a day did not have significantly increased incidence of liver cancer or chronic liver disease mortality.
“Our findings suggest sugar-sweetened beverages as a potential modifiable risk factor for liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality,” researchers wrote. “If our findings are confirmed, reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption might serve as a public health strategy to reduce liver disease burden.”
Replacing just one serving per day of sugar-sweetened beverages with one serving of coffee or tea was associated with a nonsignificant lower incidence of liver cancer, the authors noted.
For the study, Zhang and team used data from 98,786 postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79 enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative from 1993 to 1998 at 40 clinical centers in the U.S. They were followed until March 2020.
Beverage intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire administered at the beginning of the study and defined as the sum of regular soft drinks and fruit drinks (not including fruit juice). Artificially sweetened beverage intake was measured at three-year follow-up.
The bottom line? Water is always the best beverage to drink. When it comes to sugar-sweetened versus artificially sweetened beverages, the latter may be preferable to reduce liver disease.
Q and A
Q: What is edamame?
A: Edamame means “stalk beans” or “branch beans” in Japanese and it describes the fresh green soybeans either shelled or still inside the pod. They are different from other soybeans because they are fresh, not dried. Fresh or dried, soybeans are legumes, the seeds of the plant Glycine max. Consumed in fresh or dried forms, soybeans contain a bounty of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. A cup serving has 189 calories, 8 grams of fiber, 18 grams of protein and 482 micrograms of folate. Edamame can be purchased fresh or frozen and can be eaten as an appetizer right from the pod, shelled, blended into a hummus dip or used as a garnish for soups, salads and entrees.
RECIPE
Here’s a nutritional upgrade to the usual quesadilla recipe.
CHICKEN MUSHROOM QUESADILLAS
Servings: 4
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
8 ounces white button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked diced boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Four 10-inch whole-wheat flour tortillas
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushroom water has evaporated and they begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add chicken, cumin, chili powder and oregano and stir until all spices are incorporated. Stir in spinach, salt and pepper and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Lay tortillas on a flat surface. Sprinkle half of each tortilla with 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Spoon 1/4 of chicken mixture on top of cheese on each tortilla, then top with 2 more tablespoons cheese and fold tortillas over into half-moons, pressing down lightly to seal closed. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas in the pan and cook, turning once, until lightly browned and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Slice each quesadilla in half. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
Per serving: 430 calories; 22 g protein; 43 g carbohydrate; 19 g fat (8 g saturated); 55 mg cholesterol; 8 g fiber; 1,000 mg sodium.
(Recipe from Ellie Krieger’s “So Easy” cookbook)
Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU Med School in Springfield, Illinois, and the current president of the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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