Sugar substitutes are often promoted as a healthier way to enjoy sweet foods and drinks without consuming as much sugar. However, new research suggests that some of these widely used sweeteners may have an unexpected downside for long-term brain health. A study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that people who consumed the most low- and no-calorie sweeteners experienced significantly faster declines in memory and thinking skills than those who consumed the least.
The association was particularly pronounced among people with diabetes. Researchers examined seven sweeteners commonly used in foods and beverages: aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol and tagatose. These ingredients frequently appear in ultra-processed products, including diet sodas, flavored waters, energy drinks, yogurt and low-calorie desserts.
Some are also sold separately for sweetening foods and beverages. "Low- and no-calorie sweeteners are often seen as a healthy alternative to sugar; however, our findings suggest certain sweeteners may have negative effects on brain health over time," said study author Claudia Kimie Suemoto, MD, PhD, of the University of São Paulo in Brazil. Importantly, the findings show an association rather than a proven cause-and-effect relationship.
Researchers cannot conclude from this study that consuming these sweeteners directly damages the brain or causes memory loss. Study Tracks Nearly 13,000 Adults for Eight Years To investigate whether sugar substitutes might be connected to cognitive health, researchers analyzed data from 12,772 adults across Brazil. Participants were 52 years old on average when the study began and were followed for approximately eight years.
At the beginning of the study, participants completed detailed dietary questionnaires describing the foods and drinks they had consumed during the previous year. Researchers used these responses to estimate each person's daily intake of the seven sweeteners. Participants were then separated into three groups according to how much of the sweeteners they consumed.
Those in the lowest consumption group averaged 20 milligrams per day (mg/day), while those in the highest group averaged 191 mg/day. For comparison, 191 milligrams of aspartame is roughly the amount found in one can of diet soda. Of the seven sweeteners examined, sorbitol had the highest average intake, at 64 mg/day.
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