Study Links Artificial Sweeteners to Faster Cognitive Decline

Study Links Artificial Sweeteners to Faster Cognitive Decline
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A new study suggests that consuming artificial sweeteners may be linked to faster cognitive decline, CNN reported. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 13,000 Brazilians aged 35 to 75 who participated in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health. Participants who consumed the highest levels of low- or no-calorie sweeteners — about one diet soda per day — showed a 62% faster decline in overall cognition compared with those who consumed the least.

Lead author Dr. Claudia Kimie Suemoto of the University of São Paulo said this rate of decline equates to roughly 1.6 years of brain aging. People in the middle consumption range also experienced a 35% faster decline, or about 1.3 years of aging. The decline was most evident in working memory and verbal fluency. The effect was stronger in participants with diabetes, who already face higher risks of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.

The study, published in Neurology, was observational and does not prove causation. Still, experts warn that long-term safety assumptions about sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, and erythritol may be misguided. The International Sweeteners Association, however, maintains that such products remain safe and effective for reducing sugar intake, citing existing global health authority reviews.