# Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Cognitive decline in New Study
Various artificial sweeteners,while a healthier alternative to refined sugar in some respects,may have detrimental effects on brain function and verbal fluency.That’s according to a new study conducted over eight years in Brazil.
## Which sweeteners pose a risk?
A team of scientists observed more than 12,700 civil servants over an eight-year period, beginning with a questionnaire to determine their intake of certain artificial sweeteners. What they found was that those who consumed six types of artificial sweeteners — Aspartame, Saccharin, Acesulfame-K, erythritol, Sorbitol and Xylitol — exhibited reduced cognitive performance and verbal fluency before hitting the age of 60.
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“It is meaningful to remember that cognitive performance peaks around the third decade of life, between 25 and 30 years old, and after that there is a very slow, gradual decline in function,” Dr. Claudia Suemoto, associate professor of geriatrics at the University of sao Paulo and one of the study’s co-authors, told Today.com. “What our study shows is that sweetener consumption may accelerate this natural process, even in middle-aged adults.”
The youngest participants were 35 at the beginning of the study, with an average age of around 52. The size of the participant pool made this study the largest of its kind.
According to the researchers,there was no significant reduction in brain function or verbal dexterity for those over the age of 60.But a faster decline in both cognition and speaking was observed in younger participants with diabetes.
## RFK Jr.takes aim at traditional sugars
Artificial sweeteners are common in ultra-processed foods. While these foods don’t yet have a standardized definition, the U.S. Food and Drug Management (FDA), led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is attempting to crack down on them.
Kennedy has already taken aim at artificial sweeteners’ naturally occurring cousin, sugar, calling it “poison.”
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