Common artificial sweeteners can accelerate brain aging

The artificial sweeteners used in diet coke and other drinks can speed up brain aging and memory loss, according to a new study.

People who have consumed the most artificial sweeteners have experienced a cognitive decline of 62%, which results in about 1.6 years of cognitive aging.

Young adults and people with diabetes see stronger effects

An eight -year observational study of data of 12,772 adults in Brazil revealed that higher consumption of six artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols – aspectame, saccharin, Acerasulfame K, Erythritol, Sorbitol and Xylitol – was linked to worse cognitive results.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved all of these sweeteners to use in American food supply.

The association between artificial sweeteners and rapid cognitive decline was particularly strong for people under the age of 60 and those with diabetes.

People with diabetes often use artificial sweeteners to manage blood sugar, and diabetes itself is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline. Although the association was stronger in people with diabetes, it was also present in those without condition.

“Artificial sweeteners are not necessarily the safe and harmless alternatives to sugar that many of us have supposed,” Test Well in an e-mail of Thomas M Holland, MD, MS, doctor and assistant professor of Rush Institute for Healthy Aing, who wrote an editorial linked to the new study.

Why artificial sweeteners could affect the brain

Artificial sweeteners are a transformed ingredient, so consider them as a “marker” for ultra-track foods, said W. Taylor Kimberly, MD, PHD, intensive care neurologist in mass general Brigham and aggregated neurology professor at the Harvard Medical School.

Research shows that ultra-transformed foods can contribute to cognitive decline even if someone follows a brain health diet such as the mind or Mediterranean diets.

“This does not mean that you should panic if you occasionally use food products, but it is another reminder that artificial sweeteners are not a” free pass “. Moderation is essential, and choosing whole foods for ultra-tail food is a safer long term bet,” John “Wesley” McWher, Drph, Dr. Registered spokesperson based in Houston for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Testwell told an email.

Artificial sweeteners can also change the intestinal microbiome in a way that leads to intolerance to glucose and systemic inflammation, according to Auriel A. Willette, PHD, MS, Associate Professor of Neurology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of Rutgers University.

“Such changes that are linked to the worst brain function, and there are experimental and animal evidence showing that sweeteners can promote oxidative stress and neuroinflammation,” Willette in Metwell told an email.

Sugar is not the best option for brain health

Artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes are not the only type of sweetener linked to cognitive decline. Research has connected simple sugars, such as fructose and sucrose found in drinks, cereals and desserts, with an increased risk of dementia.

Drinking regular and sweet sodas instead of artificially sweet food soda is not a brain health exchange, Kimberly said.

Eating too many added sugars can lead to other health problems: heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

“What is probably the most effective, rather than exchanging one type of sugar added for another, is to exchange added sugar or artificial sweetener for unprocessed foods or at least,” said Kimberly.