Your teen's anxiety is related to their drinking

Teens who drink soda and other sugary drinks may also be at increased risk for anxiety, according to a new analysis of existing research.A review published in...

Teens who consume soda and other sugary drinks may be signing up for increased anxiety, according to a new review of existing research.A review published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics found that young people who regularly consume sugary drinks are about a third more likely to have anxiety disorders than their non-drinking peers, according to Food & Wine.Researchers from Bournemouth University brought together six databases.a large scientific search for studies published between 2000 and 2025 that looked at sugary drink consumption and anxiety among young people of 10 to 19. Out of 120,000 results, they found nine relevant studies, including two that followed young people for a year.

Based on this research, higher consumption of beverages such as soda, energy drinks, and sweetened juices is consistently associated with higher reports of anxiety symptoms.This increased risk represented a 34% increase in the likelihood of anxiety disorders among consumers of sugary drinks, the authors said.But he stressed that the evidence points to a combination, not evidence that the drinks directly cause anxiety.Controlled human trials are needed to determine cause and effect.

But co-author Chloe Casey noted that while public health campaigns have largely focused on sugar's role in physical conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, its potential impact on mental health has received less attention.Anxiety disorders, which affect one in seven adolescents worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), are now one of the most common mental health problems among young people, and one solution to this trend may be identifying modifiable habits, including what teens drink, researchers say.As an outside expert told Fox News, sugary drinks cause "insulin spikes" and "blood sugar crashes" that leave drinkers "in a state of dopamine deficiency that looks and feels like anxiety."