Sugar Substitutes and Cognitive Health

While sugar-free foods and drinks may seem like a win for your waistline, they might come with hidden costs for your brain’s health.

A recent study from the University of São Paulo in Brazil indicates that artificial sweeteners could accelerate cognitive decline. Two specific groups seem particularly vulnerable, including individuals with a condition affecting over 40 million Americans.

“People often view low- and no-calorie sweeteners as healthier options compared to sugar, but our research suggests that some of these sweeteners could negatively impact brain health over time,” remarked study author Dr. Claudia Kimie Suemoto in a press release.

The study scrutinized seven well-known sweeteners: aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, and tagatose. These sweeteners are frequently found in ultra-processed foods aimed at low-calorie markets and are also available for individual use in beverages and cooking.

Aspartame can be spotted in drinks like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, while acesulfame K is commonly used in diet products. Erythritol shows up in many low-carb foods, and saccharin is the key component of Sweet’N Low.

The study revealed that six of these sweeteners were associated with quicker declines in overall mental function, especially concerning memory. Interestingly, tagatose stood out as it didn’t correlate with faster declines.

Suemoto and her team tracked nearly 13,000 individuals around the age of 52 across Brazil for eight years, categorizing them by their sweetener consumption. The group with the least intake averaged about 20 milligrams daily, while the highest took in around 191 milligrams.

Throughout the study, participants underwent tests assessing their mental agility, such as word recall and information processing speed.

What did they find? Individuals who consumed the most sweeteners faced a 62% faster decline in mental performance compared to those in the lowest intake group over the eight years—this was even after considering factors like age, gender, hypertension, and heart disease.

The researchers approximated this cognitive decline gap to a little over 1.6 years of additional aging.

Even those in the middle group didn’t fare well; they experienced a 35% quicker decline than the lowest group, roughly equivalent to about 1.3 years of extra aging.

Interestingly, the effects varied with age. Younger adults under 60 who consumed more sweeteners exhibited quicker drops in verbal fluency and overall mental performance compared to their lower-consumption peers, a trend not observed among older participants.

This association was notably stronger among individuals with diabetes, who may be more inclined to use artificial sweeteners due to recommendations for managing blood sugar levels.

“We discovered links to cognitive decline in middle-aged adults regardless of diabetes status, but those with diabetes are more likely to turn to artificial sweeteners,” Suemoto highlighted.

This finding is particularly significant, given that roughly 40.1 million Americans live with diabetes, or about one in eight adults in the nation.

Yet, don’t be too quick to discard those sweetener packets.

There are a few limitations to this study. Firstly, it didn’t investigate every artificial sweetener available, so the results can’t necessarily be generalized across all sugar substitutes. Moreover, the dietary data relied on participants’ recollections, which can sometimes be, well, not entirely accurate.

Since this was an observational study, the researchers could only establish a correlation between sweetener consumption and quicker cognitive decline, rather than proving that the sweeteners themselves were the cause.

“Further research is necessary to validate our findings and explore whether other refined sugar alternatives, like applesauce, honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar, could be effective substitutes,” Suemoto added.

This study adds another layer to the ongoing discussion about how our grocery choices might impact cognitive health as we age. This issue is becoming increasingly pertinent, particularly as about 10% of US adults aged 45 and older report experiencing memory problems, prompting concerns about factors that could contribute to cognitive decline over time.

However, artificial sweeteners aren’t going away anytime soon.

As people seek ways to reduce calorie intake and food companies adapt their offerings, the prevalence of artificial sweeteners continues to grow. Presently, about 40% of Americans regularly consume these types of alternatives.