Sugary, artificially sweetened beverages pose no risk of dementia in older adults
26 Jun 2025
Increased intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) or artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) does not appear to contribute to the risk of dementia in older adults, according to a study.
Researchers used data from several US cohorts including the Health and Retirement Study (2013), the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (1987–1995), the Chicago Healthy and Aging Project (1993–2012), the Rush Memory and Aging Project (1997–2005), the Framingham Heart Study original cohort (1986–1994), and its offspring cohort (1991–2001).
The analysis included 10,974 older adults (mean age 73.2 years, 60.0 percent female). SSB and ASB intake was determined using completed validated food frequency questionnaires. The primary outcome was all-cause dementia, identified at least 2 years after baseline.
Over 116,067 person-years of follow-up, dementia occurred in 445 participants. Cox proportional hazard regression models showed no association between consumption of SSB and ASB in older adulthood and dementia risk in later life. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) for dementia was 0.99 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.98–1.01) per serving per week of SSB (p=0.18; I2=0 percent) and 1.00 (95 percent CI, 0.99–1.01; p=0.99; I2=1 percent) per serving per week of ASB.
Likewise, no association was found in an analysis stratified by intake category. Comparing the highest (≥1 serving per day) with lowest (0 to <1 serving per month) consumption category, the pooled HRs for dementia were 0.90 (95 percent CI, 0.78–1.03) with SSB and 1.00 (95 percent CI, 0.83–1.21) with ASB.
The results were consistent across cohorts and subgroups.
Despite the null association, the researchers called for additional studies to investigate the effects of early-life consumption of SSB and ASB on the risk of dementia, as consuming these beverages in high amounts have detrimental effects on metabolic health and related chronic diseases during early life and midlife.