The Claim

Higher consumption of artificial sweeteners is associated with greater cognitive decline in longitudinal human studies.

Source: Artificial Sweeteners Cause Cognitive Decline? (NEW STUDY)

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
52score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Correlation
1 study reviewed
In plain English

People who consume more artificial sweeteners show a greater decrease in cognitive function over time compared to those who consume less.

See the scientific wording

Higher consumption of artificial sweeteners is associated with greater cognitive decline in longitudinal human studies.

Why this might work

Artificial sweeteners change the bacteria in the gut, which causes the body to process sugar and energy poorly. This leads to less glucose reaching the brain, which makes brain cells work less efficiently and causes thinking skills to get worse over time.

Suggested mechanismbased on 2 studies

What the research says

1 study

  1. Study: Association Between Consumption of Low- and No-Calorie Artificial Sweeteners and Cognitive Decline: An 8-Year Prospective Study.

    People who drank a lot of diet sodas or ate lots of sugar-free foods over 8 years tended to forget words and think a bit slower than those who consumed less, especially if they were under 60.

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Read analysis

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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