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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Denis Campbell Health policy editor

Sweeteners can harm cognitive health equivalent to 1.6 years of ageing, study finds

Bottles of Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Diet Coke on a shelf
Coca-Cola and Sprite are among fizzy drinks containing low- or no-calorie sweeteners Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Sweeteners found in yoghurts and fizzy drinks can damage people’s ability to think and remember, and appear to cause “long-term harm” to health, research has found.

People who consumed the largest amount of sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin saw a 62% faster decline in their cognitive powers – the equivalent to their having aged 1.6 years, researchers say.

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