If you needed one more reason to keep soda out of the fridge, here’s a pretty good one. A new paper published in Substance Use & Misuse says children who consume caffeinated soda daily may be more prone to future addictions. The study, involving 2,000 children ages 9 and 10, suggested that regular soda consumption was associated with impaired impulse control and memory, and could lead to substance abuse issues down the line, the Messenger reports. Children who consumed sugary, caffeinated sodas also were twice as likely to report having tried alcohol during follow-up interviews the next year. Cognitive tests taken during the study revealed reduced activity in the anterior cingulate cortex region of the brain, also commonly seen in kids diagnosed with ADHD and people with substance abuse disorders.
These cognitive tests involved asking the participants to perform a series of tasks while researchers monitored their brain activity, according to Neuroscience News. They observed that children who regularly drank soda also had lower brain activity in the inferior frontal gyrus, which is associated with reduced memory capacity. “Our findings suggest that daily consumption of caffeinated soda in children is predictive of substance use in the near future,” said lead author Mina Kwon of Seoul National University. “One possible explanation is that the substances contained in caffeinated soda (caffeine and sugar) could induce a toxicological effect on the brain, making the individual more sensitive to the reinforcing effects of harder drugs like alcohol.”
While the link between imbibing sugary and energy drinks and future substance use has been drawn among teenagers and young adults, this study is the first to suggest a similar connection among young children. Stateside, a 2017 study found that 30% of children drink at least two sugary drinks every day, per CNN, which can account for 10% of daily caloric intake. (The FDA is considering banning a controversial ingredient from soda.)