Eating a specific type of sweetener could raise your risk of suffering from liver disease, a study suggests. 

Scientists found that sorbitol, a sugar alcohol used as a sugar substitute added to some diet sodas, sugar-free gums, low-sugar candy, ice cream and desserts, as well as some low-calorie fruit drinks, could raise the risk of fatty liver disease. 

Suffered by nearly 100 million Americans, fatty liver disease is a condition in which dangerous fat builds up in the liver, triggering inflammation, scarring and even liver failure.

Researchers at Washington University in St Louis found in tests on zebrafish that sorbitol, used as a sugar substitute because it is much lower in calories, was naturally produced in the gut when glucose levels were high but was usually cleared by healthy gut bacteria.

When those bacteria were removed, which commonly occurs in humans who take certain medications, however, the sorbitol traveled to the liver, where it accelerated fat build-up. This happened because the sorbitol was converted into fructose, which was then converted into fat.

The scientists wrote in their research paper: 'Together, these findings show that sorbitol-degrading bacteria in the gut protect against [fatty] liver disease.

'It suggests that excessive intake of dietary sorbitol may pose a risk for the development of [fatty liver disease].'

The tests were carried out in fish and will need to be repeated in humans to confirm the results, although the researchers said it was a clear warning about the risks posed by sorbitol.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-15328493/Ingredient-diet-sodas-ice-cream-chewing-gum-linked-liver-disease.html