One of the most worrisome conclusions of the study suggested that diet drinks and sweeteners can affect brain functions and increase the risk of memory loss.
During the study, the team of researchers gave rats water sweetened with several different low-calorie sugar substitutes, including saccharin, ACE-K, and stevia. Another group of rat were given water to drink with food.
In the following month, the rats became adults and study researchers assessed their memory using two different tests.
It was found that the group of rats that drank sweetened beverages while growing up had difficulty in passing the memory test, whereas the group of rats who drank water were more efficient at passing the test.
As per the researchers, the rats were given levels of sweetener which fell within “acceptable daily intake levels” and were also given “only a single sweetener.” This was to make sure that the study was as realistic as possible and to determine an acceptable amount of sweetener one can have.
