The Aporia · Baking soda 'could halve odds of getting dementia'

Baking soda 'could halve odds of getting dementia'

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Hagan, P. (2026, October 3). Baking soda 'could halve odds of getting dementia'. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16180825/Baking-soda-halve-odds-getting-dementia.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Quick Summary

Researchers suggest that baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, could reduce the risk of developing dementia by 51 percent. This finding is based on a study involving over 122,000 people with mild cognitive impairment who took the substance for kidney disease. The University of Pennsylvania team found that these individuals were less likely to progress to full-blown diseases like Alzheimer's. However, Dr. Richard Oakley from Alzheimer's Society cautions against self-medicating with baking soda without further clinical trials, emphasizing the need for more robust research.

Written by AI on 2026-10-03, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Scientists from Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania have suggested that baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, may significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia. The study focused on 122,000 individuals over 50 years old who had mild cognitive impairment, an early sign of dementia. They found that these individuals were 51% less likely to develop full-blown diseases like Alzheimer's if they took baking soda tablets. Sodium bicarbonate is already used as a cheap drug on the NHS for people with advanced kidney disease and costs only about 9p per tablet. The research indicates that baking soda can prevent harmful acid build-up in the body, which damages brain cells and leads to memory loss. Additionally, other trials are investigating whether the NHS shingles vaccine could reduce dementia risk by up to 20%, based on a study from Stanford University.

Written for “Baking Soda and Dementia Risk” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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This article reads unscored and hedges 31% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

‘There’s plenty you can do’: The lifestyle changes you can make to curb the risk of dementia Different event

The Sydney Morning Herald

Hedges 18 of 127 claims Outlet record 61/100

“The articles discuss different aspects of dementia prevention; one focuses on a specific finding about baking soda while the other provides an overview of changes in understanding and approaches to preventing dementia.”

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

31%

5 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

68/100

Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Health

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Pat Hagan

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Claims (16 extracted, 5 hedged)

Baking soda could help halve the chances of developing dementia, researchers have suggested. uncertain

researchers → bake → dementia

The baking ingredient may slash the likelihood of getting the incurable brain disease by an astonishing 51 per cent. uncertain

ingredient → slash → cent

This is because the kitchen staple is able to prevent the build-up of harmful acids in the body which can damage brain cells, leading to memory loss. asserted

which → prevent → loss

Also known as sodium bicarbonate, it is already used as a 9p-a-tablet drug on the NHS for similar issues in those with advanced kidney disease. asserted

it → know → disease

The discovery by US scientists comes as separate trials look at whether the NHS shingles vaccine could protect against dementia. uncertain

vaccine → come → dementia

It is thought the jab can cut the chances of the disease by up to 20 per cent, following a study by Stanford University last year. asserted

jab → think → University

After smaller assessments suggested patients taking baking soda for kidney disease scored better on memory tests, researchers decided to look at the health records of millions to see how the pills impacted dementia diagnoses. uncertain

pills → suggest → diagnoses

Focusing on a group of 122,000 over the age of 50 who had already been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment – issues with their memory which can be an early sign of dementia – they found they were 51 per cent less likely to develop full-blown diseases such as Alzheimer's if they took the tablets. asserted

they → focus → tablets

A 100 gm container of Borwick's Baking Powder leavening agent for use in cooking The team at the University of Pennsylvania has called for further research, saying the drug 'may influence cognitive function' due to its impact on acids in the blood. uncertain

drug → call → blood

Writing in the journal eBioMedicine, they found 20 common medications which appeared to protect against dementia – including steroids and painkillers. asserted

which → write → steroids

Nearly one million Britons suffer from dementia, a figure which is projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. asserted

which → suffer → 2040

And despite millions being spent on creating new drugs, the NHS currently offers nothing which can prevent the disease from developing. asserted

which → spend → disease

There is a growing need to find cheap ways to treat the disease as a result, with already available drugs being one option. asserted

drugs → be → result

Dr Richard Oakley, of Alzheimer's Society, said drug repurposing was 'an exciting area of research'. asserted

repurposing → say → research

But he cautioned that the latest study 'does not show that taking sodium bicarbonate can prevent or treat dementia, and we would strongly advise people not to take baking soda for this purpose'. asserted

we → caution → purpose

He added that 'robust clinical trials' were needed to understand baking soda's true impact. asserted

trials → add → impact

Baking soda 'could halve odds of getting dementia'

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Claims (16 extracted, 5 hedged)