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Free Sugar Intake and Dementia Risk: A Swedish Cohort Study on Dietary Sources and Dementia Subtypes
Naiqi Zhang1, Jenny Andresen2, Suzanne Janzi1
1Nutritional Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
The Journal of Nutrition
|April 4, 2026
Summary
Moderate free sugar intake may lower vascular dementia risk, though overall dementia risk was not significantly affected. Specific sources like chocolate and jam were linked to reduced dementia risk, highlighting the importance of food source in dietary guidelines for cognitive health.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- Dementia presents a growing public health challenge, with diet as a potential modifiable risk factor.
- The specific impact of free sugar consumption and its dietary sources on dementia risk remains incompletely understood.
- Existing research links excess sugar to metabolic and cardiovascular issues, which are associated with cognitive decline.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between free sugar intake, dietary sources, and the risk of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia.
- To investigate whether APOE ε4 status modifies these associations.
- To provide evidence for dietary recommendations concerning cognitive health.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 27,786 participants from the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study, a prospective population-based cohort.
- Dietary intake assessed via a validated diet history method.
- Dementia diagnoses confirmed through national registers and memory clinic validation over a median 25-year follow-up.
Main Results:
- Free sugar intake showed no significant association with all-cause dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
- A U-shaped association was found for vascular dementia, with moderate intake (10-12.5% of energy) linked to reduced risk.
- High intake of chocolate and jam/marmalade correlated with lower risks of all-cause and vascular dementia, while sugar-sweetened beverages showed no association.
Conclusions:
- Overall free sugar consumption was not linked to dementia risk, but moderate intake may decrease vascular dementia risk.
- Dietary guidelines for cognitive health should consider the specific food sources of sugar, not just the quantity.
- Certain sugar-containing foods, like chocolate and jam, may have protective associations with dementia risk.
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