Popular Sugar Substitutes Linked to Faster Brain Aging
A study of nearly 13,000 adults found that high consumption of low-calorie sweeteners is associated with faster decline in memory and thinking skills, equivalent to about 1.6 additional years of aging.
A study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that several widely used low- and no-calorie sweeteners may be linked to accelerated cognitive decline. Researchers from the University of São Paulo in Brazil followed 12,772 adults with an average age of 52 for approximately eight years.
The study examined seven common sweeteners: aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, and tagatose. These are often added to ultra-processed products like flavored water, soft drinks, energy drinks, yogurt, and low-calorie desserts. Participants were divided into three groups based on total sweetener intake. The lowest consumption group averaged 20 milligrams per day (mg/day), while the highest group averaged 191 mg/day.
Participants completed cognitive tests measuring verbal fluency, working memory, word recall, and processing speed at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the study. After adjusting for factors like age, sex, and health conditions, researchers found that those with the highest sweetener intake experienced a 62% faster decline in overall thinking and memory abilities compared to the lowest group. The middle group showed a 35% faster decline. These differences were comparable to approximately 1.6 and 1.3 additional years of aging, respectively.
The association was stronger in adults under 60 and in people with diabetes. Among the seven sweeteners, six—aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, sorbitol, and xylitol—were linked to faster cognitive decline, particularly in memory. Tagatose was the only sweetener not associated with decline.
The researchers emphasize that the study is observational and does not prove that sweeteners cause cognitive decline. Self-reported dietary data and the exclusion of some sweeteners are limitations. The study was supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development.
