The Study
Association Between Consumption of Low- and No-Calorie Artificial Sweeteners and Cognitive Decline: An 8-Year Prospective Study.
This study noticed that people who ate more artificial sweeteners tended to have a little more trouble with memory and talking over time, but it didn't prove the sweeteners caused the problem. It's like noticing that people who wear red socks often get colds — maybe they do, but maybe they just go outside more in winter.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tracked what people ate and how well they remembered things over 8 years, focusing on people under 60 who drank diet drinks with artificial sweeteners.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 552 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1These small changes add up over time and could mean noticing more trouble remembering words or thinking clearly as you get older.
- 2People who drank the most artificial sweeteners (over 92 mg/day) saw their verbal fluency drop by 0.040 and overall thinking skills drop by 0.024 over 8 years — more than those who drank less.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Neurology
Year
2025
Authors
N. G. Gonçalves, E. Martínez-Steele, P. Lotufo, I. Benseñor, A. Goulart, S. M. Barreto, Luana Giatti, Carolina Perim de Faria, M. D. C. B. Molina, P. Caramelli, D. Marchioni, C. Suemoto
Related Content
Claims (9)
Among adults aged 60 and older, drinking beverages with low- or no-calorie sweeteners does not show a measurable link to memory or thinking decline over eight years, and age influences how sweetener use relates to cognitive changes.
In adults aged 60 and older, drinking or eating products with low- and no-calorie sweeteners does not change the rate of cognitive decline over eight years.
Adults under 60 without diabetes who consume more low- and no-calorie sweeteners show a faster decline in verbal fluency and overall thinking skills. Adults with diabetes who consume more of these sweeteners show a stronger decline in memory and overall thinking skills.
Middle-aged adults who consume at least 92.1 mg per day of low- and no-calorie sweeteners experience a measurable faster decline in verbal fluency and overall cognitive function over eight years compared to those who consume less.
Middle-aged adults who consume low- and no-calorie sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, sorbitol, or xylitol experience a faster decline in overall cognitive function, especially in memory and verbal fluency, compared to those who do not.
People who consume more artificial sweeteners show a greater decrease in cognitive function over time compared to those who consume less.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.