Overview

• The Neurology study followed 12,772 Brazilian adults with repeated cognitive testing over eight years.
• Participants in the highest intake tier had a 62% faster drop in overall cognition—roughly 1.6 years of brain aging—than the lowest tier.
• Links appeared in those younger than 60, with a stronger association reported for people with diabetes; no link was found in adults 60 and older.
• Aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, sorbitol and xylitol were implicated, whereas tagatose showed no association.
• The highest consumers averaged about 191 mg per day—around one diet soda for some sweeteners—and the authors note self-reported diet and other limits warrant further research.