Soda drinking linked to violent behavior in kids, study finds

[morningfog]

In America, people buy more soft drinks per capita than in any other country. Soft drink consumption reaches across all age groups, from the very young to the very old. Although associated with aggression, depression, and suicidal thoughts in adolescents, the relationship between soft drink consumption and younger children had yet to be evaluated. In a new study that delves into this connection, researchers found that problems of aggression, attention difficulties, and withdrawal behavior are all associated with soft drink consumption in young children.

The study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, the University of Vermont, and Harvard School’s of Public Health, appears in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Led by Shakira Suglia, an assistant professor of Epidemiology at Columbia, the team assessed roughly 3,000 5-year-old children who were enrolled in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a birth cohort following mother-child pairs from 20 different U.S. cities. As well as reporting on their child’s soft drink consumption, mothers completed a Child Behavior Checklist, which was based on their child’s behavior during the previous two months. The results revealed that 43 percent of the children in the study consumed at least one soft drink serving per day, while four percent consumed four or more servings.

In terms of behavior, the researchers found that aggression, withdrawal, and attention problems were all associated with soda consumption. Despite adjusting for socio-demographic factors, maternal depression, parental abuse, and paternal imprisonment, the results indicate an increase in aggressive behavior with any soft drink consumption. The four percent of children who drank four or more soft drinks per day were more than twice as likely to exhibit destructive behavior, destroying things belonging to others, and physically attacking people. They also suffered from increased attention problems and withdrawal behavior compared to those children who did not consume any soft drinks.

Read more: http://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/soda-drinking-linked-to-violent-behavior-in-kids-study-finds/#ixzz2cHcQlrLf