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Sweetened beverages, energy drinks increase risk for hyperactivity/inattention
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Consumption of sweetened beverages by middle school students increased their risk for hyperactivity and inattention, reinforcing the AAP’s recommendation to limit children’s consumption of sweetened beverages.
“Sweetened beverages … are seemingly omnipresent beverages among children today,” study researcher Deborah L. Schwartz, MD, of Yale School of Public Health, and colleagues wrote. “Recently, there has been an observed shift in types of beverages consumed: sale of sodas are declining nationally while energy drink consumption is rising.”
Researchers assessed data for 1,649 students in grades 5, 7 and 8 from 12 schools participating in a larger study conducted by Yale and New Haven, Connecticut, public schools to determine efficacy of a district wellness policy. Study participants completed a 30-minute online health survey.
Eighty-five percent of participants scored within the normal range of hyperactivity/inattention symptoms; the remainder scored in the at-risk range.
Bivariate analyses indicated students in the normal range for hyperactivity/inattention symptoms consumed fewer sweetened beverages daily (2.17 vs. 2.72) and were less likely to consume energy drinks (13.4% vs. 21.1%) compared with students considered at-risk.
Compared with females, males reported greater average consumption of sweetened beverages per day (2.16 vs. 2.35; P = .05).
Black and Hispanic students reported greater consumption and variety of beverages compared with white students (P < .01 for all). Blacks consumed an average of 2.37 beverages per day, Hispanics consumed an average of 2.3 beverages daily, and whites consumed an average of 1.78 beverages.
Black students reported having 2.22 different types of beverages per day vs. 2.31 and 1.55 types among Hispanics and whites, respectively.
For each additional sweetened beverage consumed, the odds for hyperactivity/inattention increased by 14% (95% CI, 1.06-1.21).
When analyzing by beverage type, energy drinks were the only type that were independently associated with risk for hyperactivity/inattention (OR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.38-1.98).
“Risk of hyperactivity/inattention increased with number of sweetened beverages consumed, and we found a significant independent association between hyperactivity/inattention symptoms and energy drinks,” Schwartz and colleagues wrote. “Our results support the AAP recommendation that parents should limit consumption of sweetened beverages and that children should not consume any energy drinks.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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