Article URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260717033213.htm Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48963484 Points: 17 # Comments: 2

Several widely used sugar substitutes may be associated with faster declines in memory and thinking skills over time, according to research published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study followed nearly 13,000 adults and examined seven sweeteners that contain little or no calories. People who consumed the largest total amounts showed a more rapid decline in cognitive abilities than those who consumed the smallest amounts. The association was especially strong among people with diabetes. The results do not show that sweeteners directly cause cognitive decline. They reveal an association, meaning other factors could help explain the pattern. Researchers studied aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol and tagatose. These ingredients are frequently added to ultra processed products, including flavored water, soft drinks, energy drinks, yogurt and desserts marketed as low in calories. Several are also sold separately for use in coffee, tea, cooking or baking. "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. The research included 12,772 adults living across Brazil. Participants were 52 years old on average and were monitored for approximately eight years. At the beginning of the study, participants completed detailed food questionnaires describing what they had eaten and drunk during the previous year. Researchers then placed them into three groups according to their total sweetener intake.