Study points to link between sugary drinks consumption and dementia

A study published in the Alzheimer's & Dementia journal has found that people consuming sugary beverages like sodas and fruit juices are more likely to have poorer memory and people who drink diet sodas are nearly three times as likely to develop stroke and dementia when compared to those who do not consume diet soda.

The researchers say, the findings point to an association between high sugary drink intake and brain atrophy, including lower brain volume and poorer memory.

The researchers also found that people drinking diet soda daily are almost three times as likely to develop stroke and dementia, including risk of ischemic stroke, where blood vessels in the brain become obstructed and Alzheimer's disease dementia, the most common form of dementia.

The research, which involved around 4,000 participants over the age of 30 cautions people against consuming sugary beverages. However according to experts more experiments are needed to establish the link between these drinks and poorer memory.

"Our findings indicate an association between higher sugary beverage intake and brain atrophy, including lower brain volume and poorer memory," explained corresponding author Matthew Pase.

"We also found that people drinking diet soda daily were almost three times as likely to develop stroke and dementia. This included a higher risk of ischemic stroke, where blood vessels in the brain become obstructed and Alzheimer's disease dementia, the most common form of dementia," he said.

Also, a study published in the Frontiers in Public Health, says drinking energy drinks for an instant boost may prove to be harmful for health. According to a team of researchers which reviewed current scientific knowledge on energy drinks, they may cause several problems one's physical and mental health such as obesity, heart trouble, increased blood pressure, anxiety and kidney problems.