Artificial sweeteners make your brain age by 1.6 years: Study alerts of hidden risks

Sweeteners may be low-calorie, but they can harm your brain. Know which foods you should cut out now to protect cognitive health.

The switch from sugar to sweeteners may make you feel empowered as you think you are dodging the usual health perils of sugar, from blood sugar spikes to weight gain, but artificial sweeteners also come with their own risks. In fact, they may make you feel good as you are making a healthy choice by avoiding sugar. But did you know your artificial sweeteners may make your cognitive health age faster?

Artificial sweetener is a popular alternative to sugar as they reduce the calorie intake. (Freepik)

A study published in the journal Neurology revealed a concerning risk of artificial sweeteners, which you typically think are healthy because they are low-calorie sugar substitutes. However, they may contribute to cognitive decline.

Higher sweetener consumption causes faster cognitive decline

The study tracked over 12,700 adults over a period of eight years, monitoring the consumption of sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, and tagatose. Typically, artificial sweeteners are found in supposedly ‘healthy foods’ like yoghurts, flavoured water, diet sodas, and low-calorie desserts. Based on the consumption, these participants were segregated into groups.

And indeed, as suspected, the findings showed that those who consumed a lot of sweeteners demonstrated a faster decline in memory and thinking skills. The study drew a parallel with single diet soda and emphasised that people consuming the most, about the amount of diet soda daily, suffer a 62 per cent faster cognitive decline. In more shocking and simpler words? It means the brains are ageing 1.6 extra years.

What does it mean?

Instead of packaged flavoured 'healthy' yoghurt, go for fresh yoghurt by adding natural sweeteners like honey. (Shutterstock)

It means you need to go easy on your ‘healthy’ labelled foods and beverages, from diet sodas to flavoured packaged yoghurts. While yes, sweeteners may not be as loaded with calories as regular sugar but this does not indicate that it is risk-free and you give them a free pass. Sweeteners may help you cut calories, but they come with a serious cost.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.