Fizzy drinks horror: Video shows a TikTok experiment on a dead pig liver, not a human liver

Hyderabad: An experiment video is viral on social media with an X user claiming that fizzy drinks are hazardous for the human liver. The video is being widely shared on other social media platforms claiming to show the hazardous overnight harms of consuming fizzy drinks.

The viral experiment shows that Coca-Cola destroys the texture of the experimented liver (Pig liver) in 24 hours. The user claims that the same happens when we consume Coke or any other fizzy drink.

Viral video far from facts. Let’s look deeper into it.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim to be false.

What’s the experiment all about?

In a reverse image search taking the stills from the viral video, we found the exact video uploaded on a website called Detikfood, titled ‘Experiment on Soaking Pork Liver Using Fizzy Drinks, The Results Are Horrifying!’

According to the article, as fizzy drinks contain a lot of sugar and several other chemical additives, they are known to be unhealthy drinks that are dangerous for health. To prove this, one of the TikTok users, @Mascarado2fit, conducted an experiment using a pig liver. He performed the experiment by soaking a pig liver with coke overnight and as a result, found the pig liver discolored and brittle in texture.

It should be noted that the experiment is invalid to establish any findings as

· You don't soak the liver in your body when consuming fizzy drinks.

· The liver is outside the pig’s body and has become a dead organ that is likely to rot overnight in coke.

· Human and pig liver are different.

· The human liver is likely to digest whatever is consumed.

However, according to a study on how soft drink consumption is linked with fatty liver in the absence of traditional risk factors. The study found that ‘Soft drink consumption is the main cause of added sugar in the diet. Individuals who consume excessive soft drinks tend to lead a sedentary lifestyle and eat a higher calorie diet that includes more fructose.’

According to an article on Ohio State Health Discovery, by Dr Sajid Jalil, MD, Hepatologist, ‘daily soft drink can be harmful, especially to your liver — as damaging as alcohol can be. Once it reaches the liver, the sugar in beverages is converted into fat stored in liver cells. Over time, that can lead to fatty liver disease, which can, if it doesn’t improve, cause severe scarring in the liver, also known as cirrhosis. And that can be potentially life-threatening.’

He further added, ‘If you drink one sugary drink once a week, that would be OK on your liver. A diet drink is preferable, but water is the best option. Your body is 70% water, so it’s important to drink a lot.

Hence, it is evident that viral experiment has nothing to do with the human consumption of fizzy soft drinks. Occasionally soft fizzy drinks are fine but don’t make it an everyday habit.