(NewsNation) — Brace yourself for some not-so-sweet news: People who ingest high levels of artificially sweetened foods are on a faster path to cognitive decline, a new study suggests.

Researchers who published results in the journal Neurology tracked nearly 13,000 adults (average age: 52) and their diets for eight years. They said participants in the highest tier of daily artificial sweetener consumption — 191 milligrams, the amount typically found in a can of diet soda — saw a 62% faster decline in cognitive and memory skills, compared with their counterparts who consumed only 20 milligrams of artificial sweetener a day. The scientists behind the study say that’s the equivalent of 1.6 years of aging.

By comparison, study participants in the middle range of consumption — an average of 6

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