A new study involving rats links drinking cola to oxidative stress and memory impairment. Researchers from the University of Southern Santa Catarina in Brazil made the discovery. According to their research, 67 days of drinking soda increased biological stress markers in the rats’ brains. Cognitive decline influenced their behavior, in turn.
The research appeared in the journal Experimental Gerontology.
The research team wanted to investigate how cola might impact the rats’ brains in a controlled lab setting. Prior research found a link between high cola intake and enhanced risk of cognitive decline and disease.
Researchers placed the rats into two groups. One group drank as much cola as they wanted and had water available. The other group only drank water. The team monitored the rats for 67 days and killed them on the 68th day to analyze their hippocampus and frontal cortex.
Before killing the rats, the team gave them several maze tests to complete. These tests aimed to pinpoint differences between the cola and control group by evaluating their spacial memory and behavior.
Drinking Cola Led to Cognitive Decline in Rats
Cola resulted in memory impairments and cognitive decline in young rats between two and eight months old. They scored lower on the maze tests compared to the control group. However, researchers did not observe this effect in the older rats.
After analyzing the rats’ brain tissue, researchers discovered that cola-drinking rats of all ages had higher levels of oxidative stress markers. The finding suggested that biological changes occurred in the rats’ brains. The youngest rats had the greatest vulnerability to behavioral changes.
The findings mirrored prior research, which suggested that cola intake led to neurodegenerative and cognitive impairments. Higher levels of oxidative stress had the most pronounced link to heightened dementia risk.
Researchers have found an association between high-sugar diets and cognitive decline previously. However, the rats drinking cola did not have higher blood glucose levels, suggesting something else caused poor cognition.
One caveat of the study was that researchers only tested male rats. However, male and female rats often react differently to dietary risk factors, including high sugar consumption. The research team acknowledged that future experiments should involve males and females to confirm findings.
For now, researchers don’t know if drinking cola similarly impacts humans. However, many studies have linked soda consumption to adverse effects on health. Therefore, it’s probably best to drastically limit or avoid soft drinks and opt for water instead.
Other Negative Impacts of Drinking Cola
- Drinking cola can cause weight gain. A 20-year study followed 120,000 men and women who upped their sugary drink intake by one 12-ounce beverage per day. Researchers found they gained an average of one additional pound every four years. Other studies have discovered that sugary drinks increase childhood obesity risk. One study found that for each extra 12-ounce soda children drank daily, their obesity risk increased by 60% after 1.5 years of follow-up.
- Soft drinks heighten diabetes risk. A study revealed that people who consumed one or more soft drinks each day had a 26% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The threat became more pronounced in young adults and Asians.
- Soda makes a heart attack more likely. A 20-year study following 40 men found that those who averaged one sugary drink per day had a 20% higher risk of having or dying from a heart attack. Another study involving 90,000 women over 20 years found similar results. Women who drank more than two servings of sugary beverages each day had a 40% higher heart attack risk or death from heart disease.
- Soft drinks increase gout risk. A 22-year study of 80,000 women …
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