Sugar linked with mental problems in Norway study

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Sugar linked with mental problems in Norway study

JoAnn Guest

Nov 10, 2006 12:43 PST

 

 

 

Sep 28, 2006 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Oslo teens who drank the most

sugary soft drinks also had more mental health problems such as

hyperactivity and distress, Norwegian researchers reported on

Thursday.

 

Their study of more than 5,000 Norwegian 15- and 16-year-olds showed

a clear and direct association between soft drink intake and

hyperactivity, and a more complex link with other mental and

behavioral disorders.

 

They surveyed the students, asking them how many fizzy soft drinks

with sugar they had a day, and then questions from a standard

questionnaire used to assess mental health.

 

The teens who reported skipping breakfast and lunch were among the

heaviest soft drink consumers, Dr. Lars Lien and colleagues at the

University of Oslo found.

 

" There was a strong association between soft drink consumption and

mental health problems among Oslo 10th graders, " they wrote in their

report, published in the American Journal of Public Health.

 

" This association remained significant after adjustment for social,

behavioral and food-related disorders. "

 

Most of the students said they drank anywhere between one and six

servings of soft drinks per week.

 

Those who drank no soft drinks at all were more likely than moderate

drinkers to have mental health symptoms, the researchers said. But

those

who drank the most — more than six servings a week - had the highest

scores.

 

For hyperactivity, there was a direct linear relationship — the more

sodas a teen drank, the most symptoms of hyperactivity he or she

had.

 

The worst problems were seen in boys and girls who drank four or

more

soft drinks a day. Ten percent of the boys and 2 percent of the

girls

drank this much.

 

The researchers said it was possible that other substances in the

soft

drinks, such as caffeine, were to blame for the symptoms, and they

did

not check other possible sources of refined sugar in the children's

diets.

 

But they said many of the teens were clearly drinking too many

sugary

drinks. Norway's recommended intake is 10 percent of the day's total

calories from sugar and the researchers said at least a quarter of

the boys were getting this much from soft drinks alone.

 

One simple and effective measure to reduce soft drink consumption in

this age group would be to remove soft drink machines from schools

and other public places where adolescents gather, " they wrote.

 

 

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

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www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets