Why the Brain Would Say No to Sugary Beverages
High sugar intake, a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases, detrimentally impacts many adults in the United States. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported in 2015 that around 35% of all U.S. adults and 50% of adults in their sixties or older were projected to have some form of metabolic syndrome. Many studies have shown a significant association between sugar and health problems such as heart diseases, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, but researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have reported new findings on how much brain damage high sugar consumption can actually produce.
A few months ago, Dr. Matthew Pase and his cohort presented their findings from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) in two different journals, Alzheimer’s & Dementia and Stroke. FHS, established to study cardiovascular diseases in a community-based setting, has been operating in the state of Massachusetts since 1948. They began their study by recruiting participants with no signs of cardiovascular diseases, and now, it has three generations of participants who are examined biennially.
In the March publication of Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Dr. Pase and his team revealed a correlation between high sugar intake and several impacts on the brain using magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive testing. An overall decrease in brain volume, especially in the hippocampus, and episodic memory deficits were the shocking results. These findings showed an overlap of patterns that are normally shown during initial development of Alzheimer’s disease. Depending on the magnitude of the decrease in both brain volume and episodic memory, one’s acceleration of brain aging could be much higher.
In Stroke’s April edition, researchers highlighted the risk of stroke and dementia corresponding to a higher consumption of artificially sweetened soft drinks. In fact, drinking diet soda daily significantly increased the likelihood of stroke and dementia by threefold. Prior studies have shown a connection between diet soda intake and stroke; however, there had been very few studies that examined the association between dementia and diet soda. What captured the researchers’ attention was the fact that they did not find a correlation between sugar-sweetened beverage intakes and stroke or dementia.
A few months ago, Dr. Matthew Pase and his cohort presented their findings from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) in two different journals, Alzheimer’s & Dementia and Stroke. FHS, established to study cardiovascular diseases in a community-based setting, has been operating in the state of Massachusetts since 1948. They began their study by recruiting participants with no signs of cardiovascular diseases, and now, it has three generations of participants who are examined biennially.
In the March publication of Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Dr. Pase and his team revealed a correlation between high sugar intake and several impacts on the brain using magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive testing. An overall decrease in brain volume, especially in the hippocampus, and episodic memory deficits were the shocking results. These findings showed an overlap of patterns that are normally shown during initial development of Alzheimer’s disease. Depending on the magnitude of the decrease in both brain volume and episodic memory, one’s acceleration of brain aging could be much higher.
In Stroke’s April edition, researchers highlighted the risk of stroke and dementia corresponding to a higher consumption of artificially sweetened soft drinks. In fact, drinking diet soda daily significantly increased the likelihood of stroke and dementia by threefold. Prior studies have shown a connection between diet soda intake and stroke; however, there had been very few studies that examined the association between dementia and diet soda. What captured the researchers’ attention was the fact that they did not find a correlation between sugar-sweetened beverage intakes and stroke or dementia.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Americans consumed around 11 million metric tons of sugar last year. Both artificially-sweetened and sugar-sweetened beverages such as 100% fruit drinks, sports drinks, and soda make up almost half of this consumption (47%). USDA’s new dietary guidelines are now suggesting that less than 10% of calories should be coming from food and beverages with added sugar for adults.
With sugar consumption increasing nationwide at an alarming rate, Americans must be aware of how much damage frequent soda drinking, more specifically artificially sweetened diet soda, can do to the body and the brain. Many misinformed consumers may be attracted to purchasing “sugar-free” diet sodas that misleadingly sound more beneficial to health; however, the hidden truth has been unveiled: they can gradually degenerate brain and potentially do more harm than regular sugary beverages.
With sugar consumption increasing nationwide at an alarming rate, Americans must be aware of how much damage frequent soda drinking, more specifically artificially sweetened diet soda, can do to the body and the brain. Many misinformed consumers may be attracted to purchasing “sugar-free” diet sodas that misleadingly sound more beneficial to health; however, the hidden truth has been unveiled: they can gradually degenerate brain and potentially do more harm than regular sugary beverages.
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