Soft drinks

Soft drinks contain large amounts of added sugar while providing little nutritional value. Drinking them every day can harm metabolic health, which may in turn affect the brain.

Choose water or unsweetened tea more often, and cut back on the sugar added to other beverages.

Alcoholic beverages

Regular or heavy alcohol consumption can affect the brain. Alcohol acts on the nervous system, and prolonged exposure has been linked to changes in brain structure.

Consuming more than 30.5 grams of alcohol a day was associated with a greater risk of cognitive impairment, found researchers from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran after analyzing data from 17 studies involving about 80,000 people in 2004.

Coffee with sugar and sweeteners

Drinking one or two cups of plain coffee a day appears to have little association with the risk of cognitive impairment. Unsweetened caffeinated coffee has even been associated with lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia and Parkinson’s disease, a study published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found.

Adding large amounts of sugar, condensed milk, syrup or creamer, however, raises both sugar and calorie intake.

A high intake of added sugar increases the overall amount of sugar in the diet and may offset some of coffee’s nutritional benefits. Coffee drinkers should therefore choose varieties with little or no sugar.

Energy drinks

Energy drinks typically contain caffeine and sugar. Caffeine can briefly increase alertness and concentration, but that does not mean regularly consuming energy drinks benefits long-term brain health.

Research has found that caffeine can improve executive control and working memory, while glucose alone does not produce the same effect.

Energy drinks should not be overused to fight drowsiness or stay alert. Water, plain coffee or tea with little sugar may be better choices for daily consumption.