slimvictor
Bluelight Crew
If your 5-year-old is always spoiling for a fight or breaking friends’ toys, there might be a reason: He’s swilling too much soda pop.
That’s the suggestion of new research published Friday in The Journal of Pediatrics by researchers at Columbia University, the University of Vermont and Harvard.
Shakira Suglia, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, and colleagues at the other universities say they found a correlation between 5-year-olds’ soft-drink consumption and aggression, attention problems and withdrawn behavior.
Until now, such research was limited to adolescents. Prior studies showed a link between soft drinks and older children’s aggression, depression and suicidal thoughts.
"It makes sense on a lot of levels, and that’s what’s interesting about this study," said Ben Belnap, a child psychologist at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City and the father of four children, ages 2 to 9. "It sort of seems like a no-brainer. "
Although the new study doesn’t pinpoint whether it’s the sugar or some other ingredient, Belnap said it seems wise to limit consumption.
"It’s hard enough being a 5-year-old and learning to navigate in the world," he said. "I’d say, let’s make it as easy as we can for these kids and help them have steady blood sugar."
The new study found that any soda at all resulted in more aggressiveness — destroying others’ things, getting into fights or physically attacking people — but more soda meant more aggression, more attention problems and an increase in withdrawn behavior.
cont at
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56740546-78/soda-drinks-soft-behavior.html.csp
That’s the suggestion of new research published Friday in The Journal of Pediatrics by researchers at Columbia University, the University of Vermont and Harvard.
Shakira Suglia, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, and colleagues at the other universities say they found a correlation between 5-year-olds’ soft-drink consumption and aggression, attention problems and withdrawn behavior.
Until now, such research was limited to adolescents. Prior studies showed a link between soft drinks and older children’s aggression, depression and suicidal thoughts.
"It makes sense on a lot of levels, and that’s what’s interesting about this study," said Ben Belnap, a child psychologist at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City and the father of four children, ages 2 to 9. "It sort of seems like a no-brainer. "
Although the new study doesn’t pinpoint whether it’s the sugar or some other ingredient, Belnap said it seems wise to limit consumption.
"It’s hard enough being a 5-year-old and learning to navigate in the world," he said. "I’d say, let’s make it as easy as we can for these kids and help them have steady blood sugar."
The new study found that any soda at all resulted in more aggressiveness — destroying others’ things, getting into fights or physically attacking people — but more soda meant more aggression, more attention problems and an increase in withdrawn behavior.
cont at
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56740546-78/soda-drinks-soft-behavior.html.csp
