Sugary Drinks May Damage Children's Brains So Badly It Affects Their Memory

by Samantha Olson

July 29, 2014 

Sugary drinks may be doing far more harm than just causing tooth decay and weight gain; it may be damaging our brains. Researchers from the University of Southern California have found a disturbing connection between sugary drinks and memory and will present their research at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior this week in Seattle, Wash.

"It's no secret that refined carbohydrates, particularly when consumed in soft drinks and other beverages, can lead to metabolic disturbances,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Scott Kanoski from USC, said in a press release. “However, our findings reveal that consuming sugar-sweetened drinks is also interfering with our brain's ability to function normally and remember critical information about our environment, at least when consumed in excess before adulthood.”

When children consume sugar-sweetened drinks throughout their young lives, researchers worry their results indicate poor memory function once they reach adulthood. It’s not just soda they’re talking about; it’s also apple juice, lemonade, sports drinks, and anything that contains enough sugar to make you worried they’ll be jumping off the walls within the hour.

Source: Kanoski SE, Konanur VR, and Hsu TM. Adolescent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages impairs hippocampal-dependent learning. Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior. 2014.

from:    http://www.medicaldaily.com/sugary-drinks-may-damage-childrens-brains-so-badly-it-affects-their-memory-295558

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