Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 17: Fruit juice is not necessarily a healthier choice than diet soda when it comes to liver and metabolic health, according to liver health expert Cyriac Abby Philips, popularly known as Liverdoc.
Clarifying a recent social media post that sparked confusion over his ranking of beverages and foods, Dr Philips shared a hierarchy ranging from relatively beneficial or harmless choices to those he considers most harmful for liver health: water, black coffee, fresh-cut fruits, diet soda, fresh juice, packaged juice, sugar-sweetened sodas, energy drinks and alcohol.
The ranking does not mean that diet soda is a healthy beverage. Rather, diet soda is placed above fruit juice because it generally contains little or no sugar and very few calories. "For the liver, a can of diet soda is a better option than a glass of fruit juice," Dr Philips had said in his original post.
The distinction largely comes down to sugar, calorie intake and metabolic health. Whole fruits contain natural sugars along with fibre, which helps slow digestion and the absorption of carbohydrates. When fruit is converted into juice, much of the fibre is removed while the sugars remain, making it easier to consume a larger amount of sugar and calories within a short period.
For people concerned about fatty liver disease, insulin resistance and overall metabolic health, frequent consumption of high-sugar beverages can be problematic. Diet sodas, meanwhile, generally contain little or no sugar and very few calories and therefore do not provide the same sugar load as fruit juice or sugar-sweetened beverages.
However, this does not mean diet soda should replace water or whole fruits. The ranking only indicates its relative position when compared with other beverages.
One of the most important distinctions in the ranking is between fresh-cut fruit and fresh juice. Eating whole fruit provides fibre along with vitamins, minerals and other beneficial plant compounds. Fibre can increase fullness and help moderate the body's response to naturally occurring sugars.
Juicing concentrates the sugars and makes it easier to consume the equivalent of several fruits in a single sitting. Therefore, when choosing between eating an orange and drinking orange juice, eating the whole fruit is generally considered the better option for metabolic health.
Dr Philips places packaged juice, sugar-sweetened sodas and energy drinks near the bottom of his ranking. These beverages can contain substantial amounts of added or naturally occurring sugars while providing relatively little fibre.
Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been associated with metabolic problems, including obesity and an increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), commonly known as fatty liver disease. Energy drinks can also contain significant amounts of sugar, depending on the product.
Alcohol occupies the lowest position in the ranking because excessive consumption is linked to several forms of liver injury.
Water, black coffee and fresh-cut fruits occupy the top positions in Dr Philips' ranking. Unsweetened beverages can generally be incorporated into a liver-friendly diet without adding significant amounts of sugar or calories.
The key takeaway is that diet soda is not being recommended as a liver-health drink. Rather, if the choice is strictly between a diet soda and a sugary glass of fruit juice, the diet soda may have a lower metabolic impact because it contains little or no sugar.