Association between consumption of low- and no-calorie artificial sweeteners and cognitive decline: An 8-Year prospective study

Consumption of low- and no-calorie sweeteners

This longitudinal observational study examined the association between the consumption of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCSs) and cognitive decline among civil servants aged 35 years and older in Brazil. Utilizing data from three study waves (2008-2010, 2012-2014, 2017-2019) from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health, the analysis included 12,772 participants (mean age 51.9 ± 9.0 years; 54.8% women; 43.2% Black/mixed race) after excluding those with incomplete dietary data or cognitive test results. Consumption levels of seven LNCSs (aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, and tagatose) were quantified using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Cognitive performance was assessed through z-scores across six cognitive tests, and associations were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Results indicated that among participants younger than 60 years, higher tertile consumption of combined LNCSs was linked to a faster decline in verbal fluency (β = -0.016 for the second tertile; β = -0.040 for the third tertile) and global cognition. Notably, LNCS consumption correlated with accelerated cognitive decline in memory and verbal fluency, especially among participants with diabetes. The study concludes that LNCS consumption may pose long-term risks to cognitive function, particularly from artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. Limitations include reliance on self-reported dietary data, potential selection bias, and residual confounding from other health behaviors. [NPID: sweeteners, cognitive decline, memory, aspartame]

Year: 2025

Reference: Gonçalves, N. G., Martinez-Steele, E., Lotufo, P. A., Bensenor, I., Goulart, A. C., Barreto, S. M., Giatti, L., de Faria, C. P., Molina, M. D. C. B., Caramelli, P., Marchioni, D. M., & Suemoto, C. K. (2025). Association Between Consumption of Low- and No-Calorie Artificial Sweeteners and Cognitive Decline: An 8-Year Prospective Study. Neurology, 105(7), e214023. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214023

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