The Norwegian researchers examined the eating habits — including intake of soft drinks with sugar — of 5,000 teenagers. The participants in the study — all ages 15 & 16 — were then given a questionnaire designed to gauge their mental well-being. The researchers found a strong correlation between soft drink consumption and mental health problems. This association remained significant after adjustment for social, behavioral and food-related disorders.
The study revealed that hyperactivity and distress were more prevalent in teenagers who consumed an inordinate amount of sugar-based drinks, with those who drank four or more soft drinks a day displaying increased symptoms.
These findings emphasize the need for young people to limit their consumption of sugar — especially the sugar-loaded soft drinks that so many teens crave — and to create a standard course of care for nutritional planning.
But not all the news is bad for today’s teens.
The University of Minneapolis School of Public Health studied 2,761 high school seniors to explore the correlation between multi-vitamin supplement use and lifestyle decisions. The study (published in the December 2006 edition of “The Journal of the American Diabetic Association”) established that teenagers who take multi-vitamin supplements are more likely to exhibit a healthier attitude toward life, including a greater willingness to exercise and eat more nutritious foods.
Vitamins are not magic pills. But, it was clearly evident in the study that vitamin users were more likely to be involved in school and extra-curricular sports, they watched less television per day, and they were less likely to be smokers or to be overweight.
This isn’t rocket science for parents or their teens. If you want to lead a healthier life — both physically and mentally — the equation is simple. Be fit. Eat right. Think well. It’s a credo that applies to people of all ages and walks of life.