Your favorite Diet Soda It can have a detrimental effect on your cognitive health, new research suggests.
A Brazilian study published in the journal Neurology found that participants who consumed the most artificial sweeteners had a “significantly faster reduction.” Thinking and memory skills.
Researchers determined that the best-bearing group lost about 1.6 years in excess brain aging and reduced by 62%.
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The highest risk groups were young adults under the age of 60 and those with diabetes. Those Over 60 years old It didn’t seem to be affected.
In this study, researchers followed 12,772 adults, an average of 52 years of age for eight years. Participants completed a survey on what they ate and drank.
The researchers focused on the consumption of seven artificial sweeteners found in soda. Energy drinkflavourful water, yogurt, low-calorie desserts.
The specific sweeteners included in this study were aspartame, saccharin, aspham K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol and tagatose, according to a study press release.
Of those who consumed sweeteners, the best group averaged 191 milligrams per day, while the lowest group averaged 20 milligrams.
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The group also completed cognitive tests at various points throughout the study to assess memory, language and thinking skills.
All sweeteners except tagatose were associated with faster reductions in cognition, particularly memory, researchers found.
“We often believe that artificial sweeteners are safer alternatives to sugar, but our results suggest that they may not be harmless, especially when consumed frequently and beginning in middle age,” Dr. Claudia Kimmy Sumoto, a research author at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, told Fox News Digital.
“While more research is needed, our findings highlight the importance of carefully looking at what we use to replace it. Sugar in our diet. The best message for the public is to reduce both added sugars and artificial sweeteners, choose the most natural options possible, and focus on a balanced diet rich in whole foods. ”
Researchers expected that senior associations would become more obvious due to their higher risk of dementia. Cognitive impairment.
“Instead, our results suggest that middle-aged sweetener exposure can be particularly harmful, which is important as middle-aged is a critical time to set the brain health trajectory,” Sumoto said.
“Cognitive decline and dementia are thought to begin developing decades before symptoms become prominent, so middle-aged exposure accelerates these processes. Long-term outcomes. ”
Based on these findings, researchers recommend that the safest approach is to reduce the consumption of artificial sweeteners as much as possible, ideally avoiding them completely.
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“Instead of relying on artificial sweeteners, people can try other ways to add flavor and sweetness, such as moderate use of fruit, honey and maple syrup,” advised Sumoto. “This not only avoids the potential risks we observed, but also encourages them more natural. A balanced diet. ”
Dr. Brintosa Vasagal, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was not involved in the study, but shared her reaction to the findings.
“For some people, the benefits of avoiding sugar in their diet outweigh the risks of artificial sugars. Family medicine doctor It can help you decide which one is best for you,” she told Fox News Digital.
“But for most people, natural sugar is the safest option. Artificial sugars can change the perception of sweet things, and they start to consume more sugar to feel the same satisfaction.”
Most experts recommend consuming less than one drink a day, ideally for a short period of time, or just once every few weeks.
Instead of diet soda, Vasagar recommends choosing water. This can be infused with cucumber, mint or fruit. “Fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and cheese are all healthy options for snacks without adding sugar,” she said.
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For whom I have diabetes Using artificial sweeteners, she recommends seeing a doctor to help create an individual plan.
“Some artificial sweeteners can actually raise blood sugar levels,” she pointed out. “In general, even people with diabetes should seek moderation when using artificial sweeteners.”
The study had several limitations, the researchers acknowledged.
“Dietary assessments were performed only at research baseline,” Sumoto told Fox News Digital. “We adjusted our statistical analyses for several factors, but there may be general residual confounding when trying to control other dietary behaviors. Health status. ”
Furthermore, this study does not include all artificial sweeteners, and self-reported dietary data may be limited by participants’ ability to accurately remember what they consumed.
More research Other groups and other tools need to be used, Suemoto said, including neuroimaging to see if certain brain lesions are associated with sweetener use.
Vasagar agreed that more research is essential to determine whether artificial sugars are responsible for dementia and memory loss.
“It’s important to note that there is a link between artificial sweeteners and brain health, but there is no data indicating a causal relationship,” she reiterated.
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Calorie Control Council has provided the following statement to Fox News Digital:
“Low/calorie sweeteners are one of the most scrutinized ingredients and have been confirmed as safe for decades by health authorities around the world, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Administration (EFSA),” said Carla Sanders, president of CCC.
“This study has significant limitations, including reliance on self-reported dietary data collected only at baseline. The authors acknowledge that they cannot find causal evidence, but they run the risk of misleading diabetes relying on low/calorie sweeteners recommended by the American Diabetes Association and other global health experts.”
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This study was supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Innovation, and the National Council for Science and Technology Development.
