Carbonated, Sweetened Soda Linked to Violence

By Julia Moravcsik, PhD, author of Teach Your Child to Love Healthy Food

A recent study found a link between the amount of soda that teenagers drink and how violent these teenagers were.

Teenagers who drank soda almost every day were more likely to carry a weapon and to have been violent towards family or peers.

In studies like these, there is always a question of what caused what.  Does drinking soda cause teenagers to be more violent?  Or do violent teenagers drink more soda?  Or is there some other factor that is causing both soda drinking and violence, perhaps neglectful parenting?

Some possible explanations are:

• Parents who are less responsible will buy their children soda and will be more likely to have violent children
• Depressed teenagers will try to self-medicate with caffeine and sugar.  Sugar causes a temporary lift in mood (although in the long term it may cause mood problems).
• Teenagers who don't care about consequences will eat foods that are unhealthy and will use violence.

The list could go on and on.

However...

One Possible Reason for These Results is that Sugar May Cause Violence

Scientists wait for all the studies to come in before coming to conclusions.

Parents shouldn't wait!!

The excessively sweet food that we eat today has a strong effect on brain neurochemicals.  It is possible that soda may, due to its sugar and/or caffeine content, make children more violent.

There are Many Reasons Not to Buy Your Child Soda

Soda pop drinks are a completely empty source of calories.  They don't teach children to satisfy their thirst with healthy drinks like water, herb teas, or milk.  Giving your child soda in his formative years may make him a lifelong soda drinker.

What To Do

It's easy to stop your child from drinking soda.  Simply don't buy it at the supermarket.  Your child may complain for a while, but his thirst will lead him to healthier drinks.  Eventually he will forget about the taste of soda.  If you or your spouse drink soft drinks, now is a perfect time for you to kick the habit as well.

Would you like a simple, easy-to-follow program that will teach your child to love healthy food? See my new book Teach Your Child to Love Healthy Food on amazon.com.

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