Posted on 08/07/2026 5:26:02 AM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
AI, please compare the amount of methanol obtained from drinking diet soda with the amount of methanol the body naturally produces
AI Overview
A single 12-ounce can of diet soda provides about 20 mg of methanol from the breakdown of aspartame. In comparison, normal human metabolic processes and the digestion of common foods (like fruits and vegetables) generate endogenous and dietary background levels of methanol often estimated at 300 to 600 mg per day.
https://share.google/aimode/caCLKBDI4UN0mGzYD
If the study shows cognitive decline in those under 60, but not in those over 60, then IMHO this study is worthless.
Yes, I did exercise my Freeper privilege of not reading beyond the excerpt.
I generally stick to canned Pepsi with real sugar. I used to buy the 2 liter Dr Pepper with real sugar, but I don’t see it in the stores any more.
Although it is impossible to avoid it completely, to the extent possible I avoid HFCS, and the various artificial sweeteners used in the US. I do use stevia on occasion
They go great with pizza, and are less harmful than, say, beer. :-)
If you are reasonably healthy but never consume anything with poor nutritional value, just because it tastes good, you are an outlier.
It is true though, a lot of people drink diet drinks to avoid the calories in regular soda, but get the boost from the caffeine.
Did the study analyze cognitive ability if you can’t stay alert / awake?
If you doze off while driving and die hitting, say, a tree, that DEFINITELY reduces your cognitive ability. I’ll bet the study didn’t cover that.
As Rush once noted, thinking burns a lot of energy, and I don’t just mean things like deep political or social analysis. Modern life puts very complex and extensive demands, many we were not really designed for, on the ol’ grey CPU between our ears. So, people scrapping just to get by, compensate as they can.
Looks like cyclamates are still safe.They were just banned in the US because of fake 'settled science'.
Pepsi may have placed the story or 'encouraged' the direction of the story.
YAAAYYY !!! (We @ 60+ are just going downhill faster anyway, from feeling sleepy due to natural causes? Or, we wore ourselves out trying to figure out what Trump is doing WRT Iran, if not the new billing statement format from our cell phone service provider?)
Whew...no Stevia on the list
It’s a novel marketing trick to make your customers too stupid to quit, but it’s working on me…
Cyclamates are still used, though opinions on their history and safety are mixed on platforms like Reddit. They remain banned in the United States but are approved in over 100 countries, including Canada, Australia, and the European Union....................
Whew! For a minute there I thought they said wine. 😉
Yes, I should have made clear I was speaking of the US ban. I always check the labels of the diet drinks when I go to Europe so I can get those tasty cyclamates.
I’ll stick with my Moxie and A&W root beer. I’ll be fine.
The article is about diet drinks in general, but the headline singles out a specific brand. Some people would probably read this article with the headline in mind and just decide “guess I better switch to Diet Pepsi.”
I don’t need to add more - and that is on the advice of my doctor.
I know plenty of people who drink Diet Coke by the six pack- several a day! That’s got to add up day in and out, week in and out, etc.
My 1st thought.
I have many allergies and have never considered being allergic as a benefit but in this study being allergic to all the artificial sweeteners, except saccharine, has benefited me. I’m an obsessed label reader because some sweeteners aren’t considered artificial but they cause me problems. Stevia is one. One drink and the inside of my mouth is burning.
My mother used saccharine daily and I believe that slow exposure in the tea and iced tea she made resulted in no allergic reaction for me. So I drink one pink packet a day!
I find the words, “study reveals,” or, “study shows,” as a strong indicator to stop reading further...
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