Study Finds No Link Between Sweetened Drinks and Dementia Risk in Older Adults

The key findings of the study were as follows:

• Over 116,067 person-years of follow-up, 2,445 participants developed dementia.
• No significant association was found between sweetened beverage intake and dementia risk.
• The pooled hazard ratio (HR) per serving per week was 0.99 for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and 1.00 for artificially sweetened beverages (ASB).
• Comparing the highest level of consumption (≥1 serving per day) to the lowest (<1 serving per month) also showed no significant difference in dementia risk.
• These results were consistent across all subgroups and study cohorts.
• Adherence to a Mediterranean diet was linked to a lower risk of dementia.
• The findings highlight the importance of overall dietary patterns in supporting cognitive health.

The authors stressed that while their findings suggest no harmful cognitive effects from late-life SSB or ASB consumption, the impact of early-life exposure to these beverages remains unclear. They recommended further research to explore whether consumption earlier in life might influence dementia risk later on, especially given the known adverse effects of sweetened beverages on metabolic health.

The authors concluded, "Late-life intake of sweetened beverages did not appear to raise dementia risk among older adults in this extensive multicohort analysis. However, due to potential long-term metabolic consequences, limiting sweetened beverage consumption throughout life remains a prudent public health recommendation."

Reference:

Chen H, Ding Y, Dhana K, et al. Sweetened Beverages and Incident All-Cause Dementia Among Older Adults. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online June 18, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.1230