As we head into the Fall and all of the sweet food goodies that may come our way (leftover Halloween candy, anybody?), it’s a good time to review the potential health harms of sugar and to take note of new research warning us that sugar substitutes may be no better for your health than real sugar. As we’ve noted in previous posts, sugar is implicated in a host of health problems, including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and even cognitive impairment. Americans are already high consumers of sugar products, especially sugary beverages (new research even suggests that as temperatures rise around the country, ever more sugary drinks will be consumed by certain populations), and new research has connected high-fat, high-sugar products with negative consequences for brain functioning, especially in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory storage, among other functions. The good news is that this cognitive impairment connected to high-fat, high-sugar diets can be reversed with a better diet. But more generally, we know that sugar consumption can negatively affect your broader brain health, touching on your memory, mood, and cognitive skills, and can mimic a brain impact comparable to an addiction. There’s even some evidence connecting the consumption of sugar with cancer. While natural sugars provide the energy our cells need to function, added sugars from processed foods have been found to have a connection to an increased risk of certain types of cancers. Moreover, sugar-driven health conditions like obesity and weight gain have been linked to a higher risk for several types of cancer.

So what’s a health-conscious person to do? Are sugar substitutes the answer to satisfy your sweet tooth while protecting your health? Low-calorie, non-sugar sweeteners have been around for more than a century, and since the 1970s, the FDA has approved 6 sugar substitutes to be added to foods, including saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol, and plant-based stevia and monk fruit. The goal, of course, has been to limit the harmful effects of sugar consumption while satisfying the seemingly insatiable US appetite for sweet foods and drinks. We’ve known for a while that studies exist linking sugar substitutes to gut microbiome problems, along with such conditions as migraines, obesity, heart disease, and even cancer. Now comes a brand new study linking many sugar substitutes with accelerated brain aging, especially for those with diabetes or who are younger than age 60. The study, published in the journal Neurology, found that among those who consumed the most sugar substitutes, there was a faster decline in thinking and memory skills, compared to those who consumed the least amount of sugar substitutes. In fact, this accelerated brain aging was the equivalent of 1.6 years of additional brain aging among those consuming high quantities of sugar substitutes. While this study found a correlation and not necessarily causation, it should give you pause to consider whether you can lower or even taper off your consumption of sugar substitutes, especially in diet sodas or other low-calorie drinks or foods. While the exact connection between substitute sugars and brain aging is unclear, as one of the researchers stated, based on this study, “It would be reasonable for people to reduce their intake as much as possible, ideally avoiding these products altogether.”  

So if you were to think about substituting for these substitutes, what would that mean? First, you should probably understand exactly how much substitute sugar you’re currently consuming (read those nutrition labels!) and see if you can start to taper down your intake. It is clear that over time, your taste buds can be retrained to enjoy food that’s less sweet. You can also think about swapping out the sugar substitutes and instead use other flavors to enhance your taste experience, perhaps using natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, or naturally sweet fruit. Some other alternatives might include cinnamon, cocoa, or ginger. And if you’re struggling to figure out how you’re going to solve the problem of sweet holiday goodies, our friend at Brain Health Kitchen, Dr. Annie Fenn, has solved that for you with 8 strategic sugar swaps for brain-healthier sweets. So pull out your baking sheets and start prepping here. And sign up for her Substack to discover more healthy swaps and brain-enhancing strategies.