Eating plenty of foods that are high in rapidly-digested carbohydrates may lead to liver failure, a new study has found.

Scientists at Children's Hospital Boston found that mice which were fed on a high-glycaemic diet, comprised of a type of cornstarch that is digested quickly, had twice the normal amount of fat in their bodies, blood and livers as mice that ate low-glycaemic food.
 

The researchers believe that the findings may suggest that fatty liver disease, which can lead to fatal liver failure, may be preventable and treatable through dietary changes.

Dr David Ludwig, director of the hospital's Optimal Weight for Life programme and lead researcher, commented: 'Our experiment creates a very strong argument that a high-glycaemic index diet causes, and a low-glycaemic index diet prevents, fatty liver in humans.'

Examples of high-glycaemic foods include white bread, white rice, many breakfast cereals and concentrated sugar, while vegetables, fruits, beans and unprocessed grains are low-glycaemic foods.