Replacing sugar with low-calorie sweeteners has become a daily habit for millions of people around the world. Many believe these products are automatically healthier because they contain little or no sugar.
A new study, however, suggests that consuming large amounts of several popular sugar substitutes could be linked to poorer brain health over time.
The study was conducted by researchers led by Dr. Claudia Kimie Suemoto at the University of São Paulo and published in Neurology.
Instead of looking at short-term effects, the team followed participants for many years to understand how long-term eating habits related to memory and thinking ability.
Researchers analyzed information from 12,772 adults with an average age of 52. Participants reported their usual food and drink intake, allowing scientists to estimate consumption of seven commonly used sweeteners.
These ingredients are widely found in diet drinks, sugar-free desserts, yogurt, chewing gum, and other processed foods.
The sweeteners studied included aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol, and tagatose. People were divided into groups based on how much they consumed each day. The highest intake group consumed far more sweeteners than the lowest group, although the amounts were still similar to what many regular users could consume.
During the following eight years, participants completed several tests that measured memory, language, concentration, and the brain’s ability to process information quickly. By repeating the same tests over time, researchers could see how brain performance changed with aging.
The results showed a consistent pattern. Participants with the highest sweetener intake experienced faster declines in overall cognitive performance than those with the lowest intake. The difference was similar to roughly 1.6 additional years of brain aging.
The relationship was particularly noticeable in adults younger than 60 years and in people living with diabetes. Since many people with diabetes replace sugar with artificial sweeteners, the findings may be especially important for this group. Six sweeteners showed links with faster decline, while tagatose did not.
Scientists believe several explanations are possible, although none have been proven. Artificial sweeteners may influence gut bacteria, inflammation, or the way the body processes energy, all of which have been suggested in previous research as possible factors affecting brain health. More research is needed before any of these ideas can be confirmed.
The study also included important cautions. Participants reported their own diets, so some foods or drinks may have been forgotten or estimated incorrectly. Because this was not a clinical trial, the researchers could not say that sweeteners directly caused memory decline.
Health experts continue to recommend reducing excessive added sugar, but they also encourage people to avoid relying too heavily on highly processed foods, whether they contain sugar or artificial sweeteners. Choosing mostly whole foods and drinking water instead of sweetened beverages remains one of the simplest ways to support long-term health.
In summary, this research raises important questions about the long-term effects of several widely used sugar substitutes on the brain. It should encourage further investigation rather than immediate fear because many unanswered questions remain.
The study’s greatest strengths are its large sample size, long follow-up period, and detailed cognitive testing. Its biggest weakness is that it cannot establish cause and effect. Until randomized clinical trials are completed, the findings should be interpreted as evidence of an association, not proof that artificial sweeteners harm memory.
If you care about brain health, please read studies that eating apples and tea could keep dementia at bay, and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health.
For more health information, please see recent studies what you eat together may affect your dementia risk, and time-restricted eating: a simple way to fight aging and cancer.
Source: University of São Paulo.
