Kids who drink carbonated soft drinks are more aggressive

A new US survey found that children who drink carbonated drinks frequently may be more likely to exhibit behavioral problems such as aggression, lack of focus, and difficulty getting along with others. Researchers reported in the latest issue of the *Journal of Pediatrics* that they studied approximately 3,000 five-year-old children from 20 large cities in the United States. The mothers of these children were asked to report how many carbonated drinks their children had consumed in the past two months and to complete a "Child Behavior Checklist" questionnaire.

The researchers found that the more carbonated drinks a child drank daily, the more likely they were to display behavioral issues such as aggression, lack of attention, and difficulty socializing. Among them, children who drank four or more servings of carbonated drinks per day were twice as likely to destroy others' belongings, get into arguments, or physically attack others compared to children who did not consume carbonated drinks. Dr. Shakira Suglia, an assistant professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, stated in a press release that each additional serving of carbonated drinks consumed daily was associated with increased aggressive behavior in children. Although this study did not identify the true cause of the relationship between drinking carbonated beverages and behavioral problems, limiting or even preventing children from consuming carbonated drinks might reduce their behavioral issues.