Scientists at University of Alabama in Birmingham conducted the study on seven sugar-fed mice and eight controlled mice. The mice were either fed with water or sugar-syrup, equivalent to five cans of regular soda.

The scientists have found that the brains of mice fed with sugar-syrup had more evidence of Alzheimer's disease than mice fed with regular water, the online edition of health magazine WebMD reported.

"We are not saying that people who drink five cans of soda a day will get Alzheimer's, but there are many good reasons to limit sugar and sugary softdrinks," Ling Li said.

Alzheimer's is a brain disorder. People who suffer from the disease develop behavioural problems.

The study published in the latest issue of the journal Biological Chemistry provides compelling evidence of a link between high sugar consumption and Alzheimer's disease.

Maureen Storey, a spokeswoman for American Beverage Association (ABA), said, "Lab studies usually involve hundreds of mice, if not thousands. This was a very small study with specially bred mice. The differences between the control and treatment mice were not statistically significant, since the differences could have been due to chance."

"The study has failed to show 'any convincing evidence' of a link between sugary drinks and Alzheimer's disease, but people should limit their consumption of these drinks anyway," she added.

From the December 17, 2007, Prepared Foods e-Flash