- a diet full of sweet treats early in life can lead to memory issues, study warns

• Researchers gave adolescent rats a drink similar to human sugary soda 
• They then tested the rodents' memory when they had matured to adulthood 
• They found rats that had sugary drinks as a youngster had memory issues 
• Researchers found the drinks alter the gut microbiome and this leads to genetic alterations in the hippocampus 

Children who drink sugary drinks may be at increased risk of memory issues in later life, according to a new study. 

American researchers gave a sugary drink to rats and then, when they were adults, gave them two memory tests to compare how they performed. 

They found the hippocampus, a region of the brain integral to memory function, was impaired in soda-fed rodents and this led to memory issues. 

The researchers believe the drink alters the gut microbiome of an individual and this in turn modifies the genes in the hippocampus impairing function.  

American researchers gave a sugary drink to rats and then, when they were adults, gave them two memory tests to compare how they performed