The Guardian is claiming a new study "links" drinking a can of artificially sweetened to dementia and stroke, then putting a disclaimer that the study does not show a "causal" connection.
While technically they say the right words, the whole article seems to be skewed with weasel words to indicate that such a causal connection exists—after all a correlation without a causation means that they could title the article "an early sign of dementia is being more thirsty for soft drinks", and be equally technically correct.
Furthermore, the study is cited without context. Studies can find correlation between cheese consumption and people dying tangled in bedsheets, but this does not tell us anything real. What is the current state of the evidence regarding the safety of these ingredients? Have they been tested for safety in regards to these diseases?
I would like to know what the actual evidence says:
- Did the study actively look at causation? If so, did they find any evidence of it? Did they find evidence of no causation?
- What does the rest of the literature say on this link? Have the same sweeteners been studied before? How good is the rest of the evidence?