Artificial sweeteners found in yogurt and carbonated drinks may impair people's ability to think and remember and appear to cause "long-term damage" to health.

This is according to a new study reported in The Guardian.

People who consume the highest amounts of sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin experience a 62% faster decline in cognitive abilities—equivalent to aging 1.6 years.

"Our findings suggest the possibility of long-term damage to cognitive function from the consumption of low-calorie and no-calorie sweeteners (LNC), especially artificial LNC and sugar alcohols," the authors conclude.

The study is yet another warning about the risks of sweeteners. Previous studies suggest that they may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart problems, depression, and dementia, as well as damage the intestinal wall.

The link between sweeteners and cognitive decline is so alarming that consumers should use tagatose, a natural sweetener, or alternatives such as honey or maple syrup, the researchers recommend.

The study covered 12,772 civil servants in Brazil with an average age of 52, who were followed for an average of 8 years. Participants completed questionnaires about their eating habits and underwent tests of cognitive skills, such as verbal fluency and word recall.

Participants with the highest intake of sweeteners showed a decline in thinking skills and memory 62% faster than those with the lowest intake. This is "equivalent to about 1.6 years of aging," the researchers say.

Consumption of combined and individual LNCs, especially aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, sorbitol, and xylitol, was associated with cognitive loss.

"Daily consumption of LNCs was associated with accelerated decline in memory, verbal fluency, and global cognitive functioning," the authors write in their article published in the American medical journal Neurology.

However, this trend was only observed in participants under the age of 60. This suggests that middle-aged adults should be encouraged to use less sweeteners, the scientists advise.

The sweeteners studied are also found in flavored water, low-calorie desserts, and energy drinks.

"Low-calorie and calorie-free sweeteners are often considered a healthy alternative to sugar. However, our findings suggest that some sweeteners may have a negative impact on brain health over time," said Claudia Kim Suemoto of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, lead author of the study.

Food industry organizations have expressed doubts about the findings. "By the authors' own admission, this study cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship," said Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association.

"Non-sugar sweeteners are safe according to all leading health authorities worldwide and have therefore been used in a wide range of foods, medicines, dental products, and beverages for decades. Their use in soft drinks has helped UK manufacturers remove just under three-quarters of a billion kilograms of sugar from their products since 2015," he explained.

The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) said there is an "established scientific consensus" that sweeteners are safe.

"This study is observational, which can only show a statistical association, not a direct cause-and-effect relationship. The reported association between sweetener consumption and cognitive decline does not prove that one causes the other," the ISA noted. | BGNES