New study links artificial sweeteners to faster memory decline - USA Today

What the report says

USA Today reported that new research in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found a link between higher intake of several low- and no-calorie sweeteners and quicker declines in memory and other thinking abilities over time. The study, led by Dr. Claudia Kimie Suemoto of the University of São Paulo, followed 12,772 adults in Brazil for about eight years and used repeated cognitive assessments along with diet information.

Researchers looked at seven sweeteners: aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol and tagatose. Participants were grouped by average daily intake, with the highest group consuming about 191 milligrams per day and the lowest about 20 milligrams. After adjusting for factors including age, sex, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, the highest-consumption group showed a 62% faster rate of cognitive decline than the lowest group, a difference the researchers estimated as similar to 1.6 extra years of brain aging. The middle group had a 35% faster decline.

According to USA Today, the association appeared strongest among adults younger than 60 and was more pronounced in people with diabetes, a group more likely to use sugar substitutes. Six sweeteners — aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, sorbitol and xylitol — were tied to faster overall cognitive decline, especially memory; tagatose was not linked in the study.

The findings do not establish that sweeteners caused the decline. The research was observational, relied on self-reported diets and did not cover every sweetener used in foods and drinks. The authors said more studies are needed to confirm the results and examine possible alternatives to refined sugar.