Scientists said that the use of a large number of carbonated drinks, sweeteners and juices can lead to memory impairment and a decrease in brain volume. The findings of the researchers were published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.

During the study, scientists watched the brain and memory of four thousand Americans from the city of Framingham. For 10 years, the authors of the article observed how their IQ and other intellectual indices changed, and also received brain shots with the help of a magnetic resonance imager, noting all the changes in its structure. These data scientists compared to what they knew about the diet of the participants in the experiment, and tried to find patterns.

As a result, it has become known that consuming more than one or two servings of carbonated beverages and sweeteners a day can lead to a number of problems in the brain's work - its more severe drying out in old age, the development of dementia, as well as a greater risk of stroke and problems with episodic and Long-term memory.

On average, the brain volume in such people was less by 1%, while the volume of the hippocampus, the memory center, decreased by 2%. Fans of carbonated drink memorized 6% less stories that they were told by scientists, and remembered them much worse the day after the experiment than people who do not drink such drinks.

Researchers emphasize that while it is impossible to understand what exactly is the cause and effect in this case: it is possible that people with similar problems are more likely to use sweet drinks than their healthy peers.

Earlier it was reported that scientists discovered in the human brain two clusters of genes that are responsible for the development of intelligence. In the course of research, scientists have established that these same genes in the altered state can lead to epilepsy and cognitive imbalance.