Study reveals cognitive decline linked to drinking Diet Coke daily

MSN - The Street ^ | August 07, 2026 | Colette Bennett

[Red Badger]

Whether you work in an office or from home, you're likely familiar with the after-lunch slump that makes you reach for another coffee or a soda.

If you've front-loaded a lot of caffeine in the morning, this is typically the time you would feel a crash. Eating a large meal or not drinking enough water can also lead to that sluggish feeling.

There's nothing wrong with reaching for a pick-me-up at this time of day, though a short walk or refilling your water bottle is the healthiest option. But if your personal favorite afternoon treat is a Diet Coke, an updated study from the peer-reviewed journal Neurology presents some new data you're going to want to see.

The study's newest findings present a concerning link between low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) used in diet drinks and accelerated cognitive decline.

In a pool of 12,772 Brazilian participants tested over eight years, people younger than age 60 who consumed LNCS regularly showed a faster decline in verbal fluency and global cognition. The studied LNCS included aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame k, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, and tagatose.

Six of the seven sweeteners showed a link to cognitive decline, with tagatose being the one that did not.

People below age 60 who consume artificial sweeteners regularly showed a faster decline in verbal fluency and global cognition.

Participants were tested at the beginning, middle, and end of the study to track changes and then separated into three groups based on consumption levels.

The highest consumption level group showed a cognitive decline 62% faster than that of the lowest group. However, those over 60 did not show an association between LNCS and cognitive decline.

[wny]

Of course it is….

[Blennos]

Check out Zevia. Sweetened with natural stevia. Does not affect blood sugar. No artifical colors or flavors. I’m addicted. (There is a short period of getting accustomed to the stevia after-taste. For me, after a week it was gone). I buy it at the store or on Amazon. Many, many flavors, caffeinated and non. Great stuff.

https://zevia.com/

[TheThirdRuffian]

Basically anything more than a can a day.

Problem is; it’s in everything

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Doesn’t Trump drink 10 to 12 Diet Cokes on a typical day? Yeah, his brain is really fried at 80 years old. NOT.

They have no clue what causes dementia. None.

[Red Badger]

Up until last year I drank regular HFCS sodas then switched to diet types or water. I lost ten pounds.

Then a couple months ago I started drinking the regular HFCS sweetened types again and quickly gained that ten pounds back.

I quit the HFCS types and started back with the diets or water.

I lost the ten pounds again............

[Pontiac]

I had sa friend who had to get diet coke or he would get withdrawal symptoms

My sister went through withdrawal when they took Tab off the market.

[zeebee]

It says no effect if over 60

[P-Marlowe]

That was my thought. Why mention only Diet Coke? Why not Diet Pepsi or any other diet drink?

[tired&retired]

I don’t drink soda and I use pure stevia as my sweetener of choice. It’s 300 x sweeter than sugar so the quantity used is very small. I use 1/32nd tsp at a time. It natural rather than artificial. I actually grow it in my garden.

[V_TWIN]

My weight problem is from “oat sodas”. 😁

[V_TWIN]

Thank you for those kind words my friend! 👍🙏👌

[stanne]

I eat nothing with stevia in it. I just don’t eat sugar on any regular basis

If I eat stevia I get a hammer headache. Whether it’s causative or not I don’t know. I don’t touch it

[Pontiac]

In December, researchers, including some from Tufts University, published findings on a new method for producing tagatose, a rare sugar that could “provide the sweetness and natural taste of table sugar without its potential harms.” In fact, the team added in a statement, “It might even provide some health benefits.”

Could This Under-the-Radar Sugar Offer All the Sweetness Without Spiking Insulin Levels?

So, six months after this article comes out, a study reveals that the old sugar free sweeteners cause harm to the brain.

Seems to follow a common pattern. Like when Freon went off patent and suddenly it caused Ozone holes.

We needed something new.

[V_TWIN]

To this day I cant hear the word stevia without thinking of Breaking Bad. Lol!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Fine. I’m convinced. I’ll drink my liquor STRAIGHT from here on out. Another problem solved.

*SMIRK* ;)

[P-Marlowe]

I just weaned myself off of all sweeteners including refined sugars. If I want something sweet, I eat fruits and berries. I drink straight black coffee, no cream or sugar and the only canned drink I use is Spindrift.

[dforest]

Well probably, because Diet Coke is the only one mentioned in the title. Once you start reading you see that most diet sodas are culprits according to this study.

And.... it is MSN. 🙄🤣🤣

[Gil4]

So is this 2 ounces per day or 2 liters? Kinda worthless without.

Hopefully it's 2 ounces, because if it's 2 liters, I'm screwed. :-)

[albie]

Duh.

[Hyman Roth]

From my cold dead hands......