Diet Soda consumption linked to dementia Influenced by Obesity and Diabetes: Study
USA: Researchers have found in a longitudinal, population-based Northern Manhattan Study an association between diet soda consumption and dementia. However, this link was no longer evident after excluding participants with obesity or diabetes, suggesting that these metabolic conditions may partly explain the observed relationship.
The findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, come from an analysis led by Arielle Farhi from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, along with colleagues. The team explored whether regular and diet soda intake was linked to the development of dementia in a diverse urban population.
The study included 947 adults who were free of dementia at baseline, with a mean age of 64 years. The cohort was ethnically diverse, comprising 64% Hispanic, 18% non-Hispanic Black, and 16% non-Hispanic White participants, and 41% were men. Soda consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and participants underwent repeated neuropsychological testing and functional evaluations over time to determine incident dementia. Statistical models were used to estimate risk while accounting for demographic characteristics and vascular risk factors.
The researchers reported the following findings:
- During follow-up, 20% of participants developed dementia.
- Frequent soda intake was uncommon, with 4.8% consuming more than one regular soda per day and 2.3% consuming more than one diet soda per day.
- Each additional diet soda consumed per day was associated with a higher risk of dementia (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 1.39).
- Participants drinking more than one diet soda per day had over a fourfold increased risk of dementia compared with those consuming one or fewer per day (aIRR 4.15), after adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral factors.
- The association between diet soda and dementia was stronger among non-Hispanic White and Black participants and was not observed among Hispanic participants.
- Regular soda consumption was not significantly associated with dementia risk, though a borderline trend was seen in unadjusted analyses.
- After excluding individuals with obesity or diabetes, the association between diet soda intake and dementia was no longer statistically significant, suggesting that metabolic conditions may partly explain the observed link.
The authors concluded that frequent diet soda consumption may be linked to increased dementia risk, but emphasized that further research is needed to clarify the role of underlying metabolic disorders. Understanding whether diet soda independently contributes to cognitive decline or simply reflects broader health risks remains an important area for future investigation.
Reference:
Farhi, A., Rundek, T., Agudelo, C., Elfassy, T., Wright, C. B., Elkind, S. V., Gutierrez, J., & Gardener, H. (2025). Soda consumption and risk of dementia: The Northern Manhattan study. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. https://doi.org/10.1177/13872877251411414
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