Consuming high amounts of artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin has linked to faster memory and thinking decline, about 1.6 years of aging, in adults under 60, especially those with diabetes.
Some sweeteners may come with unexpected consequences for long-term brain health, according to a study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study examined seven low- and no-calorie sweeteners and found that people who consumed the highest amounts experienced faster declines in thinking and memory skills compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts. The link was even stronger in people with diabetes. While the study showed a link between the use of some artificial sweeteners and cognitive decline, it did not prove that they were a cause.
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The artificial sweeteners examined in the study were aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol and tagatose. These are mainly found in ultra-processed foods like flavored water, soda, energy drinks, yogurt and low-calorie desserts. Some are also used as a standalone sweetener.
The study included 12,772 adults from across Brazil. The average age was 52, and participants were followed for an average of eight years.
Participants completed questionnaires about diet at the start of the study, detailing what they ate and drank over the past year. Researchers divided them into three groups based on the total amount of artificial sweeteners they consumed.
The lowest group consumed an average of 20 milligrams per day (mg/day) and the highest group consumed an average of 191 mg/day. For aspartame, this amount is equivalent to one can of diet soda. Sorbitol had the highest consumption, with an average of 64 mg/day.
Participants were given cognitive tests at the start, middle and end of the study to track memory, language and thinking skills over time. The tests assessed areas such as verbal fluency, working memory, word recall and processing speed.
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After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, researchers found people who consumed the highest amount of sweeteners showed faster declines in overall thinking and memory skills than those who consumed the lowest amount, with a decline that was 62 percent faster. This is the equivalent of about 1.6 years of aging.
When researchers broke the results down by age, they found that people under the age of 60 who consumed the highest amounts of sweeteners showed faster declines in verbal fluency and overall cognition when compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts. They did not find links in people over 60. They also found that the link to faster cognitive decline was stronger in participants with diabetes than in those without diabetes.
When looking at individual sweeteners, consuming aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-k, erythritol, sorbitol and xylitol was associated with a faster decline in overall cognition, particularly in memory.
They found no link between the consumption of tagatose and cognitive decline.
