(STUDY FINDS) — DAVIS, Calif. — Beverages like Coca-Cola may be ingrained in Americana, but that doesn’t mean you should indulge in them too often. Plenty of research has already shown that regularly consuming soda and other sugary beverages can lead to serious health conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Yet staying away from sugary drinks is easier said than done for people who drink them frequently. In fact, a study by researchers at the University of California’s Davis and Berkeley campuses finds that these beverages may be highly addictive, especially for kids and young adults.
The study focused on teens, with 25 people between ages 13 and 18 from the San Francisco area taking part. They all reported normally consuming at least three sugar-sweetened beverages per day, and were told by the research team they were participating in a study probing how soda affects teenagers’ health. After abstaining from these drinks for three days, participants experience significant symptoms of withdrawal. That includes increased headaches, decreased motivation to perform work, lack of concentration, lack of contentment, cravings for sugary drinks, and lower ratings of overall wellbeing.
