A recent study in Brazil found that sweeteners in carbonated beverages can impair people's thinking and memory abilities, and appear to cause "long-term damage" to health. This study was published on September 3rd in the American Academy of Neurology journal Neurology. The research conclusion suggests that long-term intake of low calorie and non calorie sweeteners (LNCs), especially artificial LNCs and various sugar alcohols, may lead to accelerated decline in memory, language fluency, and overall cognitive ability. LNCs are a type of sweetener widely used in food and beverages, primarily as a substitute for sugar to reduce calorie intake, in line with the global trend of sugar reduction. However, their long-term effects on health still require further research. Food and beverage industry organizations have expressed doubts about the research results. The main author of the study, Dr. Claudia Kimiye Suemoto, Associate Professor of Geriatrics and Director of the Aging Research Biobank at the University of S ã o Paulo School of Medicine in Brazil, stated that although the study is currently observational and cannot determine whether artificial sweeteners directly cause cognitive decline, "we do know that these sweeteners are associated with worse cognitive trajectories. Research shows that people under the age of 60 who consume higher doses of LNCs experience a 62% faster decline in overall cognitive ability compared to those who consume lower doses, which is equivalent to 1.6 years of brain aging. People who consume moderate doses of sweeteners experience a 35% faster rate of cognitive decline, equivalent to 1.3 years of brain aging. After analyzing the results by age, researchers also found that subjects under the age of 60 who consumed more sweeteners had a faster decline in language fluency and overall cognitive ability, while subjects over the age of 60 were not affected. Researchers observed the effects of seven different sweeteners on the health of 12772 participants and followed them for an average of 8 years. The participants are Brazilian civil servants aged between 35 and 75, with an average age of 52. Participants need to record their dietary intake in detail over the past year, and then undergo cognitive skills tests including speech fluency, working memory, vocabulary recall, and processing speed. It is understood that in this study, subjects who consumed a higher dose of sweeteners consumed approximately 191 milligrams of sweeteners per day, while subjects with moderate and lower doses consumed an average of 66 milligrams and 20 milligrams of sweeteners per day, respectively. According to the World Health Organization, a can of low sugar soda with added aspartame contains about 200-300 milligrams of artificial sweeteners. Among the 7 commonly used sweeteners studied, 6 sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol) all lead to faster overall cognitive decline, especially in working memory and language fluency. Saccharin, acesulfame, and aspartame are artificial sweeteners that are recognized as "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, the World Health Organization announced in July 2023 that aspartame "may be carcinogenic to humans". Erythritol, xylitol, and sorbitol are sugar alcohols commonly used in low calorie soda, tea, chewing gum, candy, chocolate, baked goods, ketogenic ice cream, and more. Previous studies have shown that both erythritol and xylitol may cause platelets to clot more easily, resulting in blood clots falling off and flowing to the heart or brain, damaging blood vessels and causing heart disease or stroke. Only the natural sweetener "Tagatose" is not associated with cognitive decline. Tagatose is a monosaccharide that belongs to the same type as fructose and glucose. Due to its natural presence only in a very small number of plants, Tagatose is considered a rare sugar. Tagatose can be produced through chemical substances or enzymatic processes, but the process is complex and expensive. The main author of the study, Dr. Suemoto, stated that more research is needed to confirm these findings, and further research should be conducted on possible refined sugar alternatives, including apple sauce, honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar. The discovery of prompting a reconsideration of dietary recommendations is the latest warning about the dangers of sweeteners. Previous studies have shown that sweeteners may increase the risk of a range of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, depression and dementia, while damaging the intestinal wall. Dr. Thomas Holland, lecturer in the Department of Internal Medicine, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, Institute of Health Aging, Rush University, Chicago, said: "The biological mechanism behind the latest research results is particularly important for neurologists and health care professionals who manage patients with cerebrovascular diseases and cognitive disorders... These findings may prompt neurologists to reconsider standard diet recommendations, especially for patients with diabetes, metabolic syndrome or cerebrovascular diseases." International Sweetener Association (ISA) In a statement, he said: "This study is an observational study, which can only show statistical correlation rather than direct causal relationship... Although this study has attracted media attention, its results must be placed under a broader and more mature scientific consensus on the safety of sweeteners." Dr. Stanley Hasson, director of the cardiovascular diagnosis and prevention center of Lerner Research Institute of Cleveland Clinic, said that although this study has limitations, only a diet survey relying on the memories of the subjects was used, "the research object group is large and diverse, and the consistency of the research results in diabetes patients and non diabetes patients supports the feasibility of the research results. Repeatability". Such studies, as well as our own research, have further added an increasing amount of data that not only questions the long-term safety of artificial or non nutritive sweeteners, but also questions the 'generally recognized safety' levels of these substances. ”Hassan said. (New Society)