High amounts of sugar and stimulants in carbonated soft drinks put a burden on the liver, which can cause liver enzymes to increase.
Liver enzymes are enzymes that catalyze metabolic reactions. AST, ALT, ALP, GGT enzymes account for a high proportion in the liver. Excessive destruction of liver cells releases these enzymes into the blood, causing increased liver enzymes.
Elevated liver enzymes are often a warning sign of acute hepatitis, hepatic coma, chronic hepatitis, pancreatitis… If not controlled promptly, high enzyme levels can easily cause the disease to progress seriously and dangerously.
Doctor Vu Truong Khanh, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, said that drinking a lot of carbonated soft drinks can easily increase liver enzymes. Carbonated soft drinks contain a lot of sugar, about 10.6 g of sugar per 100 ml; 100 ml of energy drink has about 8.7 g of sugar. Drinking a 330 ml can of soft drink is equivalent to consuming 29-35 g of sugar. While the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that adult women should not eat more than 25 grams of sugar per day, men should not consume more than 36 grams of sugar.
People with liver disease who regularly use this type of drink put a burden on the liver, causing this organ to work harder, easily increasing liver enzymes, which over time can lead to cancer.
The liver easily absorbs a lot of sugar in this drink, then converts it into fat, accumulating fat in the liver, leading to fatty liver and increased liver enzymes. Accompanying health consequences are the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity…
Drinking a lot of soft drinks is not good for the liver. Image: Ly Nguyen
Increased liver enzymes also occur due to some diseases such as hepatitis A, B, C, D, E virus infection, fatty liver disease, overweight, and diabetes. Unscientific lifestyle; imbalanced diet; consume a lot of processed, canned, and high-fat foods; Alcohol abuse is also a cause.
Symptoms of increased liver enzymes include anorexia, dark urine, severe right upper quadrant pressure, nausea, jaundice, abdominal pain, spleen enlargement, ascites, and mild fever. Signs are not obvious when liver enzyme elevation is mild or moderate.
The new liver enzyme index test can identify high liver enzymes. In case the index is too high, the patient needs to take medication as prescribed by the doctor in combination with a scientific diet and lifestyle.
To prevent the disease, Dr. Khanh advises limiting drinking alcohol, beer, and carbonated soft drinks. Each week you should only drink a maximum of less than 350 ml, or about a bottle of soft drink, but it’s best not to drink to protect the liver. Quit smoking to reduce the toxic load on the liver. Regular exercise helps increase metabolism, consume excess energy, limit fat accumulation in the liver, and stimulate the body to naturally detoxify through sweat.
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables to provide vitamins, fiber and carotenoid pigments. Vegetables such as broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, avocado, lemon, grapefruit… help neutralize toxins, promote the liver to regenerate and heal itself, thereby lowering liver enzymes. .
Losing weight if overweight also contributes to lowering liver enzymes. Working and resting appropriately, keeping a comfortable mind, and having regular health checks are also ways to control liver enzymes and maintain a healthy body.