Are Soft Drinks a "Gateway to Drug Use"?

A recent study has revealed that children who consume soft drinks daily are more impulsive and have poorer memory. Experts analyzed the cases of over 2,000 American children aged 9 to 10, asking them how often they drink beverages like "Coca-Cola" or "Pepsi." They were also tasked with performing a series of activities while recording brain activity. The analysis published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse indicated that those who consumed caffeinated soft drinks every day were more impulsive with weaker memory. Low working memory may indicate difficulties in organizing a task or completing it in multiple steps, or losing details in instructions. Additionally, children who regularly drink caffeinated "soda" exhibited distinct brain activity compared to their peers, particularly in an area known as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Decreased activity in the ACC is frequently observed in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and individuals with substance use disorders.