The Washington Post “Checkup” blog reports, “Teenagers who drink soda are more likely to carry a weapon and act violently, according to new and somewhat shocking research ” published in the journal Injury Prevention.
Researchers “analyzed data collected from 1,878 14- to 18-year-olds in grades nine through 12 in 22 public schools in 2008.” The investigators “found that heavy use of carbonated non-diet soft drinks was significantly associated with carrying a gun or knife and violence towards peers, family and partners.”
HealthDay reports, “The authors were able to control for a number of factors including gender, race and tobacco and alcohol use but not for some other important factors that could affect the likelihood of violence, such as quality of parenting and poverty.”
Participants “who reported drinking lots of soda were also more likely to have also used alcohol or smoked cigarettes.”
According to MedPage Today, the investigators also “found that the impact of drinking lots of soda on violence was similar in magnitude to the impact of using tobacco or alcohol.”
Of course, there are lots of other reasons to prevent or severely limit soda consumption with your kids.
Here are some of my blogs on sodas:

• No sodas in schools equals less soda in teens
• Diet soft drinks increase waist circumference
• CDC: One in four high school students drinks soda daily
• Sugary drinks linked to hypertension and obesity
• Diet soda consumption may be linked to increased heart attacks and strokes
• Soda consumption may weaken bones
• Replacing Sugared Beverages With Water Helps Kids Cut Calories and Weight