Artificial Sweeteners – Good or Bad?

A new study has linked several artificial sweeteners to a decline in cognition.

• Low-calorie sweeteners and sugar substitutes such as aspartame, saccharin, and xylitol have been used since the early 1900s.
• Past studies show there may be potential health risks including cognitive issues, to using sugar substitutes.
• A new study provides more evidence suggesting a correlation between sugar substitute use and cognitive decline.

Low-calorie sweeteners and sugar substitutes have been around for a long time. The first artificial sweetener, saccharin was first sold to consumers in the early 1900s.

Since the 1970s, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)Trusted Source has approved six sugar substitutes for food additive use, including saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame, as well as sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol, and plant-based sugar substitutes like stevia and monk fruit.

Previous research shows there are some benefits to using sugar substitutes, including a reduced blood sugar spike for people with diabetes ; they may help protect the teeth from cavities and decay.

However, there have also been a number of studies showing the potential health risks of sugar substitutes, such as a possible negative impact on the gut microbiome. Low-calorie sweeteners have also been linked to a higher risk of certain health conditions, such as heart attack and stroke, metabolic syndrome, obesity, migraine, and cancer.

Now, a new study recently published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, provides more evidence suggesting a correlation between sugar substitute use and cognitive decline.

Written by Corrie Pelc

For further information on these interesting studies, please click here.