Alzheimer’s disease is recognized as a brain disorder that can impact your memory, train of thought, and even behavior. While the cause of Alzheimer’s is still being studied, it’s extremely important that, as you age, you start taking better care of your brain health.
One of the easiest ways to lower your risk is by being mindful of the everyday ingredients found in our daily diet, especially in the kitchen!
Often overlooked, beverages can play an important role in overall health. Many of these seemingly harmless drinks are marketed as refreshing but are actually packed with hidden sugars or can harm your gut (think gut-brain axis!), potentially increasing your chances of Alzheimer’s.
@robertwblove AVOID These Three Drinks Because They Can Increase the Risk of Alzheimer’s disease. #alzheimers #memory #drinks #soda #diet #aspartame #nutrasweet #alcohol #sportsdrinks #sugar #dementia #alzheimer #healthandwellness #robertlove #robertwblove original sound – Robert Love
Robert Love, a neuroscientist who has over 2M followers on TikTok, recently shared a video of the three drinks he believes you should avoid because they could lead to Alzheimer’s. According to him, the three culprits are diet soda, alcohol, and sports drinks.
1. Diet Soda
Diet soda has been branded as a healthier alternative to regular soda, but that doesn’t make it any healthier. Although it does contain fewer calories, the artificial sweeteners and other harmful ingredients in diet soda can negatively impact brain health.
Love says, "Most diet soda is sweetened with something called aspartame. Aspartame is not good for your gut bacteria,” he says. He also adds that most aspartame “is associated with a lot of negative side effects, including cancer in animals."
So how does this affect your brain? "The research shows that consuming aspartame, specifically diet soda, is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes is very harmful for the brain,” he notes.
He explains that anything that can increase the risk of diabetes can also increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Alcohol
It’s no secret that alcohol has been linked to various health risks. Some research suggests that there may be a link between Alzheimer’s and excessive consumption of alcohol.
Love elaborates further and notes that “what’s bad for your gut bacteria is bad for your brain.” The gut and the brain are connected in an interesting link called the gut-brain axis (GBA).
Alcohol is also harmful to the liver and “reduces activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is kind of your self-monitoring” system. This explains why people loosen up after sipping on alcohol because Love says, “You know when you say alcohol loosens my tongue, it actually does by turning off part of your brain that censors yourself.” He says regularly turning off this part of your brain is “not a good idea” if you want to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.
But that’s not all; alcohol can also damage brain health by reducing sleep quality!
3. Sports Drinks
The last one on Love’s list is sports drinks or any high-sugar drinks.
Many health and fitness enthusiasts turn to sports drinks as a way to stay hydrated and assume it’ll freshen them up after a sweaty workout.
But sports drinks are actually full of sugar and even artificial colors.
Dr. Love highlights the hidden dangers these drinks pose in a separate TikTok: "Sports drinks are either high in sugar or high in artificial sugars, and both of those can be damaging to your brain."
