The American Beverage Association is disputing research that links soda consumption to aggressive behavior and attention problems in children.
“It is a leap to suggest that drinking soda causes these or any other behavioral issue. The science does not support that conclusion. The authors themselves note that their study 'is not able to identify the nature of the association between soft drinks and problem behaviors.’ Importantly, our member companies do not promote or market the consumption of soft drinks to children in the age group examined in this study,” stated the ABA.
About 3,000 5-year-olds from 20 U.S. cities were assessed as part of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, University of Vermont, and Harvard School of Public Health study, which found that 43% of the children consume at least one serving of soda per day and 4% consume four or more.
Mothers reported their child’s soft drink consumption and completed a checklist based on their child’s behavior during the previous two months. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, maternal depression, intimate partner violence, and paternal incarceration, any soft drink consumption was associated with increased aggressive behavior, according to researchers.
