New Delhi (PTI): Women consuming sugar-sweetened drinks daily are a higher risk of developing liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality, scientists have found in the US.

The observational study, led by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital, US, included 98,786 postmenopausal women from the prospective Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study. The WHI study focuses on strategies for preventing heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Of the group, the 6.8 per cent women consuming one or more sugar-sweetened beverages daily had 85 per cent higher risk of liver cancer and 68 per cent higher risk of chronic liver disease mortality, the study found by observing women for over 20 years.

This data was compared against those who had fewer than three sugar sweetened beverages per month, the study said.

''To our knowledge, this is the first study to report an association between sugar sweetened beverage intake and chronic liver disease mortality,'' said Longgang Zhao, first author of the study published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open.

''Our findings, if confirmed, may pave the way to a public health strategy to reduce risk of liver disease based on data from a large and geographically diverse cohort,'' said Zhao.

The women participants reported their usual soft drink, fruit drink (not including fruit juice) consumption, and then reported artificially sweetened beverage consumption after three years. They were followed for a median of more than 20 years.

The researchers looked at self-reported liver cancer incidence and death due to chronic liver disease such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, or chronic hepatitis, which were further verified by medical and/or death records.

They said that being an observational study, causality could not be inferred and that they relied on responses that were self-reported.

More studies were needed to validate this risk association and determine why sugary drinks appeared to increase risk of liver cancer and disease, they said.

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Hyderabad (PTI): As many as 49 outbound Indigo flights are expected to be cancelled from here on Friday, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport sources said.

Similarly, 43 incoming flights are also likely to be cancelled during the day, they said.

A chaotic situation prevailed at the airport for the second consecutive day on Thursday as IndiGo cancelled 37 outbound flights, leaving aggrieved flyers stranded without alternative arrangements or clear communication.

"Absolute chaos at Hyderabad airport because of Indigo operational mess. All gates were bombarded with angry stuck passengers," a netizen said in a post on X this morning.

The airline, in a late-night statement, said the last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network and operations.

"We extend a heartfelt apology to all our customers and industry stakeholders who have been impacted by these events. IndiGo teams are working diligently and making all efforts with the support of MOCA, DGCA, BCAS, AAI and airport operators to reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy," it said.

Indigo further said it will continue to keep its customers apprised of any changes to their scheduled flights and advise them to check the latest status at https://goindigo.in/check-flight-status.html before heading to the airport.

IndiGo deeply regrets the inconvenience caused and remains focused on streamlining its operations at the earliest, it added.