Offering the taste of sweetness with zero calories, sugar-free drinks seem like a “healthy” way to enjoy a 12-ounce soda or 20-ounce venti latte without adding pounds. But “No Sugar” drinks are not a “no risk” choice.

Research shows that the effects of saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose on the body and brain are highly complex, with correlations found between non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) and metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, and diabetes, as well as stroke and dementia.

Per Harvard Medical School’s “Staying Healthy” blog, frequent consumption of NNS may cause people to find “less intensely sweet foods, such as fruit, less appealing and unsweet foods, such as vegetables, downright unpalatable.”¹ We may then avoid fresh, filling, and nutritious foods.

The 2020 post references a study of 6,000 American adults (the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) that found that daily consumption of diet drinks was associated with a 36% greater risk for metabolic syndrome and 67% increased risk for type 2 diabetes—diseases they were meant to prevent.²

Biological mechanisms to explain the association between diet sodas and metabolic syndrome and diabetes focus on an increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages/foods, or disruption of the ability to estimate caloric intake.³ However, NNS can also disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome, which, through multiple mechanisms, may contribute to fatty liver disease.⁴

What is known about NNS and brain health? A post on “Cognitive Vitality” published by Alzheimer’s Discovery notes that the impact on the brain appears to stem from effects on the gut microbiome.⁵ Bacteria in the gut can break down an NNS, and “breakdown products, called metabolites, can potentially impact brain function.” The composition of breakdown products “…depends on the chemical nature of the sweetener as well as the particular species of bacteria present in a given person. As a result, the effects are highly individualized.”⁶

Furthermore, a research article in “Stroke,” found that higher recent and higher cumulative intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks are associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, all-cause dementia, and AD dementia.5 A study published by the American Academy of Neurology found that people who consumed the highest amounts of NNS had a faster decline in thinking and memory skills.⁷

For my part, I’ll take the World Health Organization’s advice, which recommends whole foods with natural sugars (like fruit) or water as better alternatives for weight control.

1. health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030
2. diabetesjournals.org/care/article/32/4/688/29040/Diet-Soda-Intake-and-Risk-of-Incident-Metabolic
3. Ibid
4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7257251
5. alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/blog/are-artificial-sweeteners-bad-for-the-brain
6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5405737/
7. aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/5281