There’s been quite a few studies out there linking soda consumption in kids to childhood obesity, but have you ever heard that soda can make children violent? In a recent report by CNN Health, the details of a new study published in Pediatrics, makes the claim that while the sugary substance is bad for health, it also causes “aggressive, violent behavior in children as young as 5 years old.” Conducted by a team of researchers at Columbia University, the study followed the soda consumption of a group of children from birth to age five. Here’s a snapshot of what they found and for the full CNN Health story, click here.
Study: Does Soda Make Kids Violent?
- On aggressive behavior: Children who consumed at least four servings of soda per day were twice as likely than those who didn’t drink any soda to display aggressive violent behaviors – such as destroying other people’s belongings, starting physical fights and verbally attacking other children.
- On social effects: The kids were also more likely to have trouble paying attention to instructions, and were more withdrawn socially compared to 5-year-olds who didn’t consume soda.
- On consumption rates: “There was a dose response,” said Shakira Suglia, study author and associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University. “With every increase in soda consumption, we saw an increase in behavior problems. It was significant for kids who consumed as few as one serving of soda per day.”
What do you think about these findings? Do you allow your children to have soda on a regular basis?
