Researchers
say they have found a “shocking” association between violence by
teenagers and the amount of soda they drink. High-school students in
inner-city Boston who consume more than five cans of non-diet soft
drinks every week are between 9% and 15% likelier to engage in an
aggressive act compared with those who drink less. They are also more
likely to have been violent with peers, family members and dates. David
Hemenway, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the
study was based on answers to questionnaires filled out by 1,878
public-school students aged 14 to 18 in the inner Boston area, where
crime rates are much higher than in the wealthier suburbs. Hemenway
noted that the murderer of gay rights activist Harvey Milk had his
conviction reduced from homicide to voluntary manslaughter by the
“Twinkie Defense,” which stated that an unhealthful diet made the
perpetrator act irrationally. Several studies have established a link
between very high sugar consumption and lack of social bonding or
irritable and anti-social behavior.
