The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a balanced diet with low sugar values, suggesting a sugar intake of up to 10% of total daily calories.

A study from the University of Georgia in the United States studied the long-term impact of daily consumption of sugary drinks during adolescence. The data indicated that sugar consumption compromises learning performance and memory in adulthood.

"Sugar consumption early in life appears to selectively impair learning and memory in the hippocampus," explains Emily E. Noble, one of the authors.

In addition, this diet also increases the number of P. distasonis and P. johnsonii species in the gut, damaging the gut microbiome. According to the experts, this was one of the mechanisms that impacted memory.

"The question now is how do these populations of bacteria in the gut alter brain development? Identifying how bacteria in the gut are affecting brain development will tell us what kind of internal environment the brain needs to grow in a healthy way," explains the scientist.

In fact, sugar is present in many of the foods on sale in supermarkets, and its exaggerated consumption is responsible for the risk of heart disease, childhood obesity, and the proper functioning of the kidneys, among many other consequences.